Swiftlets Farming for Production of Edible Bird&#39;s Nests

ABSTRACT

An edible bird&#39;s nests production facility comprising of: a wholly man made artificial caves system and/or converted natural relief such as caves, valleys, cliffs forming the nesting habitat and associated supporting facilities configured to breed swiftlets for their nests by means of a captive breeding program for swiftlets; commercialized-scientific farming methods; specialized apparatus, mechanisms and techniques; managed sustainable harvesting of nests; provision of a safe and secure nesting habitat and a conducive environment to maximize avian population by minimizing mortality rates; safe collection of nests by means of mechanized lifting systems and specialist mountaineering equipment.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/624,995 filed on Nov. 24, 2009, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/685,728 filed on Mar. 13, 2007, which claimspriority to Singapore Patent Application 200601493-0, filed Mar. 13,2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS

The present invention relates to the breeding of swiftlets of the genusAerodramus and/or Collocalia in an edible bird's nests productionfacility for producing large quantities of nests. And a highly efficientmethod for harvesting nests safely. Such a facility configured to breedswiftlets for their nests helps in conserving wild species of endangeredswiftlets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS

Present method of obtaining edible bird's nest involves collecting andharvesting nests of wild swiftlets in their natural habitats such asmountain caves and limestone cliffs for consumption causing irreversibledisruptions and damages to the dwindling populations of endemic wildswiftlets. Poachers have been known to raid established roosts ofprotected and endangered species of swiftlets in national parks andwildlife preserves at night to steal edible bird's nests. The saying,“early bird takes the worm” and “finders-keepers” epitomizes thementality of poachers as in the wild the first to strike takes all,leaving nothing for late corners. Such that nest poachersindiscriminately destroys un-hatched eggs, killing swiftlet chicks tooyoung to fly to safety, disrupting their reproductive life-cycle,threatening their very survival such that some species of swiftlets inSouth East Asia are fast approaching extinction. As with the rest of theglobal wildlife trade dealing in protected and endangered species ofplants, animals and related wildlife products, the supply chain of thelucrative bird's nest trade is steeped in a traditional hierarchy ofshadowy contacts cloaked in secrecy and black-market deals. Dealers areunable to proof the legality of their supply sources. Unscrupulousdealers have been known to pass off imitation products and fakes asgenuine edible bird's nests. Some nest-processors employed harmfulchemicals and detergents in the treatment of nests to improve the marketvalue of the commodity to the detriment of consumers.

The birds called Cave Swiftlets or Swiftlets are contained within thefour genera of Aerodramus (formerly Collocalia), Hydrochous, Collocaliaand Schoutedenapus. They form the collocaliini tribe within the familyApodidae. Geographically the genus Aerodramus comprises around 30species with a habitat range covering southern Asia, south pacificislands and north eastern Australia located within the tropical andsub-tropical regions. Edible bird's nests are derived from caveswiftlets of the genus Aerodramus and/or Collocalia. In particular fourspecies comprising A. unicolor, A. fuciphagus, A. maximus and A. germaniare the most prized. A. unicolor and A. fuciphagus (also known asCollocalia fuciphaga) produces high grade white nests while A. maximusproduces lower grade black nests containing more feathers, particles andother impurities.

Scientific classification of these avian species being:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phyllum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Apodiformes

Family: Apodidae

Genus: Aerodramus

Species: A. unicolor, A. fuciphagus, A. maximus and A. germani

Binominal name: Aerodramus unicolor, Aerodramus fuciphagus, Aerodramusmaximus and Aerodramus germani

Common name: Indian Swiftlet, Edible-nest Swiftlet, Black-nest Swiftletand German's Swiftlet

The Collacaliini tribe of swiftlets comprises the: Edible-nest Swiftlet(Aerodramus fuciphagus); Indian Swiftlet (A. unicolor); Black-nestSwiftlet (A. maximus); German's Swiftlet (A. germani); Waterfall Swift(Hydrochous gigas); Glossy Swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta); CaveSwiftlet (C. linchi); Pygmy Swiftlet (C. troglodytes); SeychellesSwiftlet (A. elaphrus); Mascarene Swiftlet (A. francicus); PhilippineSwiftlet (A. meamsi); Moluccan Swiftlet (A. infuscatus); MountainSwiftlet (A. hirundinaceus); White-rumped Swiftlet (A. spodiopygius);Australian Swiftlet (A. terraereginae); Himalayan Swiftlet (A.brevirostris); Indo-chinese Swiftlet (A. rogersi); Volcano Swiftlet (A.vulcanorum); Whitehead's Swiftlet (A. whiteheadi); Bare-legged Swiftlet(A. nuditarsus); Mayr's Swiftlet (A. orientalis); Palawan Swiftlet (A.palawanensis); Mossy-nest Swiftlet (A. salangana); Uniform Swiftlet (A.vanikorensis); Palau Swiftlet (A. pelewensis); Guam Swiftlet (A.bartschi); Caroline Islands Swiftlet (A. inquietus); Atiu Swiftlet (A.sawtelli); Polynesian Swiftlet (A. leucophaeus); Marquesan Swiftlet (A.ocistus); Papuan Swiftlet (A. papuensis); Scarce Swift (Schoutednapusmyoptilus); Schouteden's Swift (S. schoutendeni).

Swiftlets lives in flocks along tropical coastal areas and are aerialinsectivores. The average body length of a swiftlet is 9 centimeters,about half the size of a swallow. Swiftlets have a shorter rectangulartail while swallows have a longer forked tail. The A. unicolor measuringaround 12 centimeters in length is mainly dark brown above and palerbrown below. A. fuciphagus is smaller measuring 9 centimeters in lengthand weighs about 15 to 18 grams with a band of brownish gray feathersacross the rump. A. maximus is larger with a wing-span of 13 centimetersand weighs 28 grams. Its lower legs have a row of small feathers.

Most swiftlets have a characteristic shape with a short tail and verylong swept-back wings resembling a crescent or a boomerang for fastflight with a wide gape and small reduced beak surrounded by bristlesfor catching insects in flight. The flight of some species ischaracterized by a distinctive “flicking” action. Swiftlets roosts onvertical cliffs or walls of caves high above, making harvesting of nestsan extremely risky profession. Many collectors were known to have fallento their death from flimsily constructed climbing apparatus used forharvesting edible bird's nests. Swiftlets have sharp claws protrudingforward for clinging securely onto vertical cliffs and well developedsalivary glands which are able to secrete large amounts of saliva whichsolidifies in contact with air, forming the main agent in the buildingof their nests. Swiftlets builds their nests three times a year, not forthe purpose of habitation but to foster their young. Nests are attachedto the rocky walls of humid limestone caves. Adult swiftlets would restand sleep while perched vertically on cave walls, supporting theirbodies with sharp claws. Each nest is only used once and is abandonedonce young swiftlets have learnt to fly.

The average life span of a swiftlet is about 15 to 18 years. During thebreeding season, all the species' salivary glands expand to produce thespecial sticky saliva for binding twigs and other detritus together forbuilding the nest, in particular male swiftlets which uses thick salivato construct the white shiny nest. The saliva is produced by a pair oflobed salivary glands beneath the tongue of parent birds. It is alsocalled nest-cement. This glutinous nest-cement dries fast in contactwith air. The nest is a shallow half-moon cup stuck to the vertical cavewall into which eggs are laid. A. fuciphagus and A. unicolor each lays aclutch of 2 eggs. The eggs are incubated for around 3 weeks beforehatching. Young fledgling leaves the nest in 2 weeks but remains nearit, clinging to the cavity for another 2 weeks without flying.

A pair of A. maximus takes an average of 30 days to lay one egg and 25days to incubate the egg. The chicks needs at least 45 days to growlarge enough to fly and takes 4 months for juvenile birds to mature. Thebreeding cycle of Black-nest swiftlets from its ability to fly tobuilding its own nest is about one year. Residing mainly in the NiahCaves and Mulu Caves in Borneo, A. maximus has three breeding seasons inone year. Avian census by Banks in 1935 recorded 1.7 million nests inthe Niah Caves compared to 65,000 nests in a DANIDA/SWMPI census in2002, a decrease of 96%. Source: DANIDA/SWMPI (Danish InternationalDevelopment Assistance/Support to Wildlife Master Plan Implementation)project; and Sarawak Forest Department, Malaysia.

Historically, ever since the voyages of Chinese Admiral Zheng He (ChengHo) to the “southern seas” (South China Sea) 700 years ago; and theestablishment of barter trading of Ming Dynasty Chinese ceramics,porcelain wares, silk, exquisite handicrafts, etc. in exchange fortropical products such as edible bird's nests, spices, pepper, camphor,sandal-woods, rottan, belian (iron wood), etc. Edible bird's nests fromthe island of Borneo in particular the Niah Caves, had been closelyassociated with the imperial court, royalty and the Emperor of China.Consumption of edible bird's nests in China dates back 1,000 years agoand had been ingrained into the psyche of the orient as a special foodfit for kings. Gifts and presents made of edible bird's nests in familygatherings to celebrate auspicious occasions and festive seasons hadbecome a fashionable trend in Asia. Such that demand for this scarcecommodity out-strips supply, which conversely, had been shrinking due topoaching, non-sustainable harvesting and destruction of wild habitats.

Scientifically and medicinal wise, demand for this commodity may beexplained by the close relationship of edible bird's nests with theenzyme neuraminidase. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,408 Flashner et al teachesa method of extracting extra-cellular neuraminidase from amicro-organism Arthobacter sialophilum sp.nov. found in edible bird'snests, regurgitated by the swiftlets Collocalia. This enzyme is used fortreatment or regression of solid tumors and useful in immunological andbirth control investigation and application.

Domestication, commercialized breeding, rearing and managed husbandry ofswiftlets in a specially equipped highly productive avian farm or ediblebird's nest production facility dedicated to producing edible bird'snest on a commercial scale will prevent extinction and enhance thesurvival of wild avian species by providing an alternative supply offarmed edible bird's nests in the market, reducing and stabilizingprices of the commodity making illegal harvesting of wild nestsunattractive to poachers.

The relatively tasteless nests are harvested and prepared for cuisine insoup mixed with chicken, spices, and other flavors as an orientalgastronomic delight with supposed aphrodisiac properties. Only a fewspecies are suitable and it is those species whose nests are made purelyor almost purely of saliva that are most prized and sought after,especially the genus Aerodramus and/or Collocalia. In particular thespecies A. fuciphagus, A. unicolor, A. maximus and A. germani.

Captive breeding programs for animals including birds and fish havebrought back many species from the brink of extinction and restored wildpopulations. Such a program may be used to establish a colony ofswiftlets in a newly constructed production facility, or a new extensionof an existing production facility, or restore wild populations.

SUMMARY

To this end the present invention provides a method to breed anddomesticate swiftlets in an edible bird's nest production facilitycomprising of: a wholly man made artificial caves system and/orconverted natural relief such as caves, valleys, cliffs forming thenesting habitat; and associated supporting sub-facilities; specializedequipment and apparatus. A dedicated facility specially configured forthe commercial production of edible bird's nest including persuasiveinducement of providing shelter and/or food for wild swiftlets,obtaining fertilized eggs for captive breeding, hatching, caring for thehatchlings and young chicks, rearing, developing familiarity and bondingof the hatchlings with human handlers.

The nesting habitat comprises the main facility in the farm while otherrelated sub-facilities includes the incubation facility for hatchingeggs; “wormery” a large scale worms breeding and production facility forproviding bird feed; greenhouses for bringing up swiftlet chicks;transitional facility for acclimatizing the hatchlings; nests processingfacility; sago (Metroxylon spp.) log ponds for breeding and producingsago worms, a larvae of the Rhynchophorus spp. beetles as bird feed;escape cages; large scale insect traps; mechanized lifting systems, etc.

In an extension of the captive breeding program, hatchlings two to fourweeks old (before fledging) may be obtained from semi-domesticatedswiftlets residing in abandoned buildings and vacant human dwellings.The hatchlings may be manually collected from such shelters andtransferred to another location or new extensions of the presentfacility to initiate the breeding of a new colony of swiftlets.

Present invention also discloses a method of providing a manipulatedbreeding environment conducive to the birds, including special trainingtechniques such as pre-mediated conditioning and acclimatization ofhatchlings to its nesting colony, bonding with its brood and aviancommunity creating a conscious and sub-conscious feeling of belonging toits “home-ground” and habitat. Such that even after it has grown up, andmay be allowed to fly free to forage for natural foods, the domesticatedbird returns daily to roost at its breeding ground, congregate andinteract in an avian colony which it recognizes as its own, a“home-ground” and safe haven to which it belongs.

Such that when the nesting season approach, this innate sense ofbelonging and pre-mediated conditioning ingrained into the conscious andsub-conscious mind urges nesting swiftlets to return home to its colonyand birth-place to roost, congregate, mate, build new nests, lay eggs,brood, hatch and rear the next generation of young. Special survivaltechniques and live training exercises may be provided to juvenile birdsin a controlled environment to help them survive better when foragingfor food in the vicinity of the avian farm.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and systemincluding facilities and techniques for the large scale domestication,breeding and rearing of swiftlets for their nests, commercial productiontechniques, managed sustainable harvesting and safe collection of ediblebird's nests to satisfy the appetite of connoisseurs and to meet marketdemand without harming wildlife. A scientific method of farmingincluding the provision of apparatus and techniques beneficial to avianhusbandry and the conservation of wild swiftlets capable of producingedible bird's nests. Scarcity of supply relative to global demand servesto artificially inflate the high prices of this “delicacy.” It is a factthat edible bird's nests comprises an essential ingredient in Asianculinary delights and “traditional medicine” practices, a tonic and aninvigorating health food for the rich and affluent to pep up theirenergy levels.

The method as disclosed may create a new niche or spin-off industry inanimal husbandry for high volume production of edible bird's nests incommercial farms comprising specialized production facilities. Providingthe traditional edible bird's nest industry steeped in harvesting ofwild nests with an alternative supply of commercially farmed ediblebird's nests. A cleaner, healthier and high quality source of healthfood product produced in a controlled environment by means of modernscientific farming techniques. Commercial farming possess advantagessuch as economics of scale, high productivity and efficiency; safebreeding environment for swiftlets and safe harvesting of edible bird'snests by collectors trained in the use of mountaineering equipment andmechanized lifting systems; including other specialized equipment,facilities and techniques designed, configured and tailor made for theedible bird's nest production facility; modern management techniques,deployment of professional expertise such as veterinarians andornithologists, avian medications, vaccination against disease andsickness, etc. Favorable conditions that only a farm environment canprovide. Such advantages may be used to maximize the avian population byminimizing mortality rates, thus increasing productivity and efficiencyof the production facility. Farmed edible bird's nest providesconnoisseurs with a choice of consuming such nests with a clearconscience, secure in the knowledge that they had not harmed wild-life.But had in fact, helped in the conservation of wild species of swiftletsby making a conscious personal choice in choosing farmed products, inpreference, over wild life related products.

Included in the swiftlet's breeding and edible bird's nests productionfacility of present invention are specialized equipment such as predatortraps; arrangement to exclude or keep out predators from the nestinghabitat; commercial breeding and production facilities for worms,gigantic enveloping cages protecting the roosting habitat; adaptation,modification and integration of nesting habitat into natural formationslike rock cliffs and mountain valleys forming ecologically andenvironmentally friendly avian eco-farms; artificial nesting cavitiesbuilt into natural cliffs; man made roosting structures and cavities,wholly man made artificial “caves” for breeding swiftlets; nestingpanels specifically designed for swiftlets to perch vertically and tobuild nests during the breeding season; designs incorporating safetyfeatures into the constructions, apparatus and safety devices tominimize fledgling mortality rates; pest control measures includingfumigation with chlorine gas and cleaning of nesting panels with highpressure water jets; mechanized lifting systems, safety equipment andapparatus for safely collecting and harvesting edible bird's nests fromgreat heights, hundreds of meters above ground level.

Present invention is conducive to the conservation and beneficial to thepreservation of endangered species of swiftlets, to bring them back fromthe brink of extinction and eventual removal from the list of endangeredspecies. The production facility, methods, apparatus and techniques asdisclosed may be used to make available a constant supply of cheap andaffordable edible bird's nest for consumers. Such that edible bird'snest may no longer remain as a rare commodity affordable to the rich andaffluent but commonly available for all connoisseurs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:—

FIG. 1A shows a method for the semi-domestication of wild swiftlets inabandoned or unoccupied human dwellings, houses and premises adapted forrearing swiftlets.

FIG. 1B shows an alternative nesting site in vacant man made buildingsconverted/or built for breeding swiftlets.

FIG. 2A shows the cross-sectional view of the adaptation and conversionof two naturally occurring cliffs and a U-shaped valley lying in betweentwo mountains into a roosting habitat covered with an enveloping cage ontop and at the flanks.

FIG. 2B shows the frontal view of a natural cliff face serrated withcrevices and caves excavated by mechanical means.

FIG. 2C shows a cage constructed adjacent to a naturally occurring rockcliff in the form of a gigantic semi-dome structure. The natural cliffmodified and constructed with crevices, caves and foot holds to form anesting habitat and an edible bird's nest production facility forbreeding swiftlets.

FIG. 2D shows a plan view of the protective cage structure.

FIG. 2E shows a cross-sectional view 2E-2E of the protective cagestructure, nesting crevices and predator traps.

FIG. 2F shows a detailed plan view of the layout of a swiftlets breedingfacility for producing edible bird's nests. The main portion of thefacility comprising nesting habitat 17 is supported by specialistfacilities such as the worms production facility, eggs incubationfacility, green houses, transitional facility, nests processingfacility, predator traps, etc.

FIG. 2G shows the detailed layout of the predator traps comprising amoat, bunds, flat metal piece, fence, and electrified wire grids to keepout unwanted intruders.

FIG. 2H shows a cross sectional view 2H-2H of FIG. 2G.

FIG. 2I shows a cross sectional view of the base of girders resting onan arrangement of plates and rollers to cater for thermal expansion andearthquake tremors.

FIG. 2J shows the grill arrangement of access-ways of the protectivecage structure to filter out airborne predators and birds of prey.

FIG. 3A shows the arrangement of a man made nesting structure made ofhardened earth, rocks and mortar to form a small hill with double sidedcliffs complete with nesting caves.

FIG. 3B shows a cross sectional view 3B-3B of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C shows a man made hill comprising rocks and/or blocks of hardenedearth or clay bricks arranged to form a nesting structure for breedingswiftlets.

FIG. 3D shows detailed features of an individual block of hollow brickused in building the nesting structure of FIG. 3C.

FIG. 3E shows a grove excavated into a rock cliff built with a drain anda raised edge at the lip. Section 3H-3H provides a detailedcross-sectional view.

FIG. 3F shows details of a manually excavated cave built with a drainand a raised edge. The walls are serrated with indentations andprotrusions purposely made using drills.

FIG. 3G shows swiftlets nesting in their nests built on small toe-holdsof protrusions and indentations in a natural cave wall or cliff face.

FIG. 3H shows a cross-sectional view 3H-3H of FIG. 3E.

FIG. 4A shows an artificial nesting structure built with concrete orwooden frame and pre-fabricated nesting panels to form compartments andslots comprising the internals.

FIG. 4B shows the plan view of a rectangular shaped nesting structurebuilt of fixed and movable panels attached together.

FIG. 4C shows a cross-sectional view 4C-4C of FIG. 4B formed by thenesting panels, perforations and attachment boards described in relationto FIG. 4B.

FIG. 4D shows a detailed view of the nesting panels with grooves,indentations and protrusions to provide vertical perch.

FIG. 4E shows an alternative nesting panel designed with nestingchannels placed at an inclined angle (slanted from right to left) toprovide secure nesting cavities.

FIG. 4F shows the cross-sectional view 4F-4F of FIG. 4E, with theinclined nesting channels. The cavities are slanted from the open frontpart towards the back of the panel with raised edges.

FIG. 4G shows an alternative panel design with a jig-jag pattern suchthat the floor of the cavity above forms the roof of the cavity below.The floor is inclined from the front towards the back of the panel withraised edges. Serrated surfaces, protrusions and indentations providevertical perches.

FIG. 4H shows an alternative panel design similar to FIG. 4G, withhorizontal roof and floor including draining grooves.

FIG. 4I shows the plan view of an alternative arrangement of panels asshown in FIG. 4B and FIG. 4C providing an octagonal structuralconfiguration to maximize vertical nesting surface area.

FIG. 4J shows an elevated isometric view corresponding to the plan viewof FIG. 4I.

FIG. 4K shows the plan view of another alternative arrangement of panelsas shown in FIG. 4B, FIG. 4C and FIG. 4I providing a hexagonalstructural configuration.

FIG. 5A shows a cross-sectional view of a natural cave modified toaccommodate a huge population of swiftlets by means of nesting panels toincrease nesting surface areas and roof-top based access ways.

FIG. 5B shows a cross-sectional view of a converted valley in analternative arrangement such that the features of FIG. 2A to FIG. 2J maybe combined and integrated with FIG. 4B to FIG. 4G to form an ultra highdensity nesting habitat.

FIG. 5C shows the top view of FIG. 5B in particular the mechanizedlifting systems and arrangement of nesting panels.

FIG. 5D shows the modification of a single sided cliff face and valleyas illustrated in FIG. 2C, 2D, 2E into a high density populated facilityfor breeding swiftlets and a highly productive edible bird's nestproduction facility.

FIG. 5E shows a cross sectional view 5E-5E of FIG. 5F and details of thestructural configuration of a wholly man made artificial roostinghabitat built to resemble, emulate and simulate naturally occurring cavelike breeding conditions.

FIG. 5F shows the layout view of a gigantic expandable and scalablesystem of a wholly man made artificial cave structure 100 comprising themain structure of the edible bird's nest production facility used forbreeding swiftlets.

FIG. 6A shows the detailed layout plan of a worm production facility forproviding swiftlets and fledglings with bird feed.

FIG. 6B shows details of an array of inclined breeding trays of FIG. 6Afor incubating and breeding worms.

FIG. 6C shows a sieve apparatus for segregating grown worms for birdfeed and smaller worms for further growth or fattening.

FIG. 7A shows an insects catching apparatus for provision ofsupplementary bird-feed.

FIG. 7B shows an apparatus for drying wet edible bird's nests after ithas been processed.

FIG. 8A shows the plan view of a hoisting and winching apparatus used toharvest or collect edible bird's nests from caves built into a mountaincliff.

FIG. 8B shows a cross sectional view 8B-8B of the main winching andhoisting apparatus as shown in FIG. 8A used to provide vertical lift forharvesting edible bird's nest.

FIG. 8C shows the detailed sectional view 8B-8B of one part of thewinching apparatus comprising the motorized pulley mechanism capable ofmoving a nest collector horizontally between point A and point B alongthe steep cliff face 16.xx

FIG. 8D shows a detailed view of guide rollers used to keep the hoistline in position, and prevents abrasion against the housing assembly.

FIG. 8E illustrates further alternative features and arrangement of trapdoor 110, in which the self-activating trap door may be configured toopen automatically by itself and to close back gently without slammingor banging.

FIG. 8F shows a plan view and FIG. 8G shows section 8G-8G of the workingmechanisms of FIG. 8E.

FIG. 8H shows an arrangement in which trap door 110 may be activated bywind-lev. and gravity assisted by a counter-weight.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONS

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B shows one embodiment of present invention for thesemi-domestication of wild swiftlets and small scale production ofedible bird's nest. This may be achieved and enabled through theprovision of shelters, roosting habitat or a nesting site including foodand water to establish a colony of the nesting birds. Wild swiftlets maybe attracted to the vacant habitat comprising man made structures bymeans of recorded playback of bird calls broadcast over audio systemsrepeatedly until a small colony of birds had been established naturally.Nesting habitat may comprise isolated crevices in the attics of housesand vacant human dwellings 11 and unoccupied commercial buildings 14specially adapted to provide a man made environment conducive to attractwild swiftlets to build their nests. Such that doors and windows may beshuttered, boarded or bricked up and cemented. Building 14 may bespecially designed, configured and built for breeding swiftlets. Nestingpanels constructed from wood, plywood, silicates and carbonates buildingmaterials may be placed inside these man-made shelters, buildings andstructures to increase nesting surface areas and to provide verticalperches for resting birds. Entrance to the shelters may comprise ofsmall size apertures 12 to discourage predators. Alternatively entrance12 may be guarded by grills 13 adequately spaced for swiftlets to enterand exit.

Swiftlets being nesting creatures by nature normally returns to itsestablished nesting habitat to breed during the breeding season yearafter year. Nests produced by such semi-domesticated swiftlets may becollected once the juvenile bird had abandoned and left its nest to flyfree. Collected nests are normally sold raw to be further processed forfood. Nests built by the wrong kinds of birds (e.g. swallows orsparrows) may be removed together with the eggs, such that over timethis manual selection process only leaves behind a colony of swiftletsthat produce the right kind of nests for the trade. Such a method may beused to generate a cottage industry for the semi-domestication ofswiftlets and the small scale production of edible bird's nest.

In another embodiment of present invention eggs laid by swiftlets duringthe nesting season in such shelters 11 and 14 may be partially collectedand removed for captive breeding in an edible bird's nest productionfacility such as the wholly man made artificial cave structure 100 asdisclosed in present invention, specially designed and configured forbreeding millions of swiftlets for the commercial production of tons ofedible bird's nests. Alternatively, eggs for captive breeding may alsobe obtained from the nests of wild swiftlets.

In an extension of the captive breeding program, besides eggs, chicks,hatchlings and juvenile swiftlets 2 to 4 weeks old (before fledging) mayalso be obtained from semi-domesticated swiftlets residing in suchshelters. The juveniles may be manually collected from these sheltersand transferred to colonize a newly established large scale productionfacility; or, to newly extended portions of the existing productionfacility. Such a method also helps to relief population pressure ofexisting shelters through a managed re-distribution of the aviandemography, and to avoid an avian population explosion. Such anovercrowding of habitat may be detrimental to the swiftlets breeding cumedible bird's nest production facility. In human terms, such ademographic re-distribution may be equivalent to the concept ofresettlement or relocation.

FIG. 2A to FIG. 8H shows the main embodiment of present inventionincluding a method, system, apparatus, equipment and techniques for thedomestication and breeding of swiftlets for the production of ediblebird's nests in a highly productive and efficient production facilitycomprising artificial man-made nesting structures or converted naturalrelief capable of producing hundreds of tons of edible bird's nestsannually.

FIG. 2A to FIG. 2I illustrates a method of integrating man madestructures with mother-nature such that the roosting habitat may bebuilt, integrated and blended into mountain cliffs or other naturallyoccurring structures such as mountain caves, limestone cliffs, ledgesand overhanging rocks. Such that like naturally occurring structures maybe modified, adapted and adopted to provide a conducive nesting site andhabitat for breeding swiftlets for the purpose of obtaining their nestsfor human consumption. Such a method of integrating and blending manmade facilities into a natural setting being the basis for theestablishment of an “eco-farm,” an environmentally and ecologicallyfriendly method for breeding swiftlets for the production of ediblebird's nests conducive to the conservation of wild swiftlets. Such thateggs sourced and obtained from semi-domesticated birds in FIG. 1 or,from the wild may be transferred to a wholly man made artificial cavestructure 100 and habitat 17 for breeding. The eggs may be incubated inincubator 30. Artificially hatched chicks from incubator 30 andnaturally hatched chicks obtained from semi-domesticated birds inshelters 11 and 14 may be raised in green houses 33 of the specializedavian eco-farm for the full domestication of swiftlets by means of sucha captive breeding program.

The domesticated avian population forms a ready pool of genetic stock (aliving gene bank) for re-populating the wild or re-establishing wildflocks of birds whenever necessary. In particular the endangered speciescomprising: Aerodramus fuciphagus, A. unicolor, A. maximus and A.germani.

FIG. 2A shows the adaptation and conversion of a natural relief such asa valley located in between two steep rock cliffs to form a nestinghabitat 17. The vertical face of the naturally occurring rock cliffs 16may be drilled and excavated to make artificial caves 18, caverns,holes, crevices, ledges 57, eaves, to provide nesting and roostingplaces for swiftlets. Such that cliff face 16 may be gouged andpock-marked with caves 18, indentations 59, protrusions 60, ledges 57;riddled with nooks and crannies manually excavated to maximize nestingsurface areas to provide clinging and vertical perching footholds asillustrated in FIG. 2B.

Providing a natural infrastructure adapted and modified by means ofhuman engineering techniques into an extremely conducive reproductiveenvironment favorable for the swiftlets to build their nests during thebreeding season is accomplished by modifying natural formation withman-made formations as illustrated in FIG. 2A. The crevices may beconstructed vertically, horizontally or as individual caves 18 or holes.The excavations may be serrated horizontally with protrusions andindentations to provide an extremely rough surface for clinging. Theentire habitat 17 including cliff face 16, portions of cliff top 20 andother man made nesting structures 15 located at the valley or cliffbottom 19 may be enclosed in an enveloping protective cage 22 surroundedby predator traps designed to keep out or exclude airborne andterrestrial predators. Nesting structure 15 may be constructed ofhardened earth, bricks and mortar or stones with an interconnected mazeof nesting crevices and vertical perches. Alternatively, cage 22 mayalso comprise of a solid roof 97 secured to a structure of girders 105.Such an eco-farm integrated into a natural relief may be surrounded bytrees and vegetation planted to enhance a natural setting. The farm maybe configured to provide adequate nesting capacity to accommodate adensely packed avian colony comprising a million swiftlets.

FIG. 2C illustrates an alternative arrangement in which a single sidedvertical cliff face 16 may be converted into a nesting habitat 17 withthe erection of a gigantic protective cage structure 22 mounted ongirders 21 to provide a safe and secure shelter. FIG. 2D shows a planview of FIG. 2C while FIG. 2E shows a cross-sectional view along section2E-2E of FIG. 2D. A myriad of caves 18 are built into cliff face 16. Thefacility may be protected by a perimeter wall and fence 23 and predatortraps comprising of moats 24, bunds 25, metal plates 26 and fence 27.The hoisting apparatus 160 to 180 as shown in FIG. 8A to FIG. 8D may beused for harvesting nests in cavities and caves 18 constructed on cliffface 16.

Referring to FIG. 2F is shown the detailed layout plan of an integratedcommercial edible bird's nests production facility and eco-farm ofpresent invention configured to breed swiftlets for their nestscomprising of the main roosting habitat 17; and associated or relatedsupporting sub-facilities such as the juvenile birds transitionalfacility 28; a “wormery” 29 for producing worms; incubation facility 30for hatching eggs; veterinary clinic and laboratory 31; sago logsholding ponds 32; greenhouse cum training school 33 for bringing upchicks and juvenile birds; staff quarters 34; nests processingfacilities 35; feed stock processing facility and store 36; open feedingground 39; protective facilities comprising of an enveloping cage 22mounted on girders 21; perimeter wall cum fence 23 reinforced withstrands of high tension (voltage) wires; predator traps comprising ofmoat 24; bunds 25; equipment and apparatus such as escape cages 37;insect catching apparatus 38.

The avian eco-farm may be configured to include a protective refuge orenclosure such that the main facility comprising the roosting habitat 17may be totally segregated from the external environment by means of acage structure 22 and predator traps. The cage structure ensures thatthe nesting habitat cum sanctuary 17 is completely shrouded or enwrappedin an encompassing protective wire mesh 22.

FIG. 2G shows the frontal view while FIG. 2H shows a detailedcross-sectional view 2H-2H of the layout and construction of predatortraps comprising of a combination of moats 24, bund with an inclinedledge 25, an inclined grid of high tension wires 40 and 41 mounted onwooden wedges 43, vertical flat metal sheet 26, barbed-wire fencing 27with a vertical grid or layers of high tension wires comprising cathodicterminal 40 (−ve) and anodic terminal 41 (+ve) mounted on wooden posts42. The grid is connected to a source of high voltage electricity supplydesigned to prevent the habitat from ingress by terrestrial predatorssuch as rats, squirrels, snakes, monkeys, etc. The lower portion of thebund surrounding the nesting habitat may be constructed of compactedearth or concrete topped by an overhanging ledge 25, a vertical sheet ofsurrounding metal 26 topped by a fence 27 and layers of high tensionwires 40 and 41. The inclined ledge and grid of high tension wires andvertical metal sheet prevents predators from clambering up the bundswith ease. The upper portion comprising of fence 27 and a vertical gridof high voltage wires or grid provides further layers of deterrence.

Wires 40 and 41 of the high tension or voltage grid may be spaced 2 cmapart and secured or nailed directly onto wooden posts 42. Wood providesa natural form of insulation such that wires securely attached to woodenposts did not require any additional insulation materials. ‘U’ shapednails sharpened at both end may be driven into the wooden posts 42 andwedges 43 to keep the wires in position. The nails may be made ofstainless steel SS 316 or SS 304. Alternatively, industrial staples maybe adapted and modified for use in place of the nails. Wires withpositive and negative terminals may be spaced 2 cm apart and placed at adistance of 1 cm from the inclined ledge 25 by means of wedges 43. ‘U’shaped nails sharpened at both end may be driven into the wedges 43 tosecure the high voltage terminals in position, preventing accidentalcontact of the high voltage terminals. The wooden fence posts 42 andwedges 43 may be made of ‘belian’ a form of termites resistant iron-woodendemic to the island of Borneo. Besides wood, insulation wedges,holders or spacers may also be made of commercially available insulationmaterials like rubber, PVC, Teflon, etc. The system voltage may beboosted by means of step-up transformers from a normal supply of 220volts to 415 volts. Or thousands of volts as desired. Current convertersmay be used to change AC into DC for utility purpose. Such thatpredators coming into contact with the numerous strands, coils or gridof high voltage wires may receive a nasty shock. Contact with any two ofthe opposing terminals send electric shocks through the body pulverizingor electrocuting it such that even if the predator is not instantlykilled, it prevents further intrusive actions by scaring them away.

FIG. 2I shows the design of the foot of girders 21 supporting thegigantic cage 22 configured for thermal expansion in the tropicalclimate and (earth-quake) shock proofing. The apparatus (foot of girder21) rests on a bracket shoe 45 which in turn, rests on top of a tier ofroller bars 46 and housed in a bracket body 44. The girder foot 21 is inturn covered by internal and external shoes 47. Shoe 47 protects theapparatus 45, 46 and 47 from corrosion by water. Hole(s) 48 may beincorporated to prevent accumulation of rainwater. Similar configurationmay be applied to posts of I-beams, C-channels, T-struts in theconstruction of other structures of present invention.

FIG. 2J illustrates an access way 49 located at the upper structure ofthe bird cage 22 (containing the transitional portion of nesting habitat28, mesh 1 cm×1 cm gap) comprising of a sliding contraption of fine meshand grills that may be pulled over access way 49. Access way 49 iscovered with permanent grills 50 spaced 5 cm×12 cm apart such that gapsare just large enough to allow adult swiftlets to pass through, yetkeeping out larger avian predators and birds of prey. The movableportions 52 of the sliding door may be powered by means of a motor, orby means of a manual pulley and lever system.

A pair of A. maximus lays one egg three times a year while A. fuciphagusand A. unicolor lays two eggs per clutch. Theoretically the rate ofpopulation increase would be 1.5 times per year for A. maximus and 3times per year for A. fuciphagus and A. unicolor. This is equivalent toa 3 fold increase in population per year.

A. maximus 1 egg × 3 nesting season = 150%, 1.5 × population/year A.fuciphagus/A. unicolor 2 eggs × 3 = 300%, 3 × population/year A. maximus1 egg × 3 150% increase in 1.5× increase in nesting seasonpopulation/year population/year A. fuciphagus 2 egg × 3 300% increase in3× increase in A. unicolor nesting season population/yearpopulation/year

BREEDING YOUNG TOTAL STARTING BIRDS PAIRS BIRDS BIRDS 1st YEAR  20 birds 10 pairs 60 80 2nd YEAR  80 birds  40 pairs 240 320 3rd YEAR  320 birds160 pairs 1060 1420 4th YEAR 1420 birds 710 pairs 4260 5680 5th YEAR5680 birds 2840 pairs  17040 23720In actual fact survival rates of chicks are an unknown quantum atpresent as no such data is available. In a related study on the breedingbiology of the Mountain Swiftlet, Aerodramus hirundinaceus undertaken inTwin Falls Caves in Irian Jaya, the island of New Guinea, hatchingsuccess rate of eggs was 77%. The fledging success rate was 61%.(Source: Journals >EMU: Austral Ornithology) A general rule of thumbpoints to a 50% survival rate in the wild. The high rate of chicksmortality may be due to predation, falls from height while learning tofly, death due to the vagaries of nature such as droughts, famine,scarcity of food due to competition, etc. An object of present inventionis to maximize swiftlets population by boosting hatchling survival ratesto above 90 percent while reducing mortality rate to below 10 percent,in order to increase the production capacity of the facility. Such anobjective may be achieved by means of provision of a habitat designedwith intrinsic safety features such as nesting cavities incorporating araised edge 55 at the lip to prevent fledglings from falling out; drains56 to prevent collection of rain water in which fledglings may drown;safety netting 84 strategically placed below the cliff face 16 ornesting panels 69 to rescue fallen fledglings and chicks which may bethen be raised by means of captive breeding by human handlers.

Other safety features designed into the habitat includes an outerencircling walled structure and fence 23; predator traps 24, 25, 26, 27,40, 41; enwrapping cage structure 21, 22; solid roofing 97 and walledstructures 101, 102, 104; elevated angles and slanted surfaces (fromRight to Left on panel 69) providing drainage to keep the habitat dry,cool and well ventilated at all times; elevated angles slanted from thefront towards the back of the nesting cavities of panels 69 a.

To cater for an increase of avian population, roosting habitat 17 of theeco-farm and cage structure 21 and 22 may be extended and expanded withaddition of new units adjacent to existing facilities through conversionof non-productive cliff face into inhabitable nesting areas forswiftlets. Alternatively in the case of the single sided cliff, newlyextended areas need not necessarily be shrouded in a protective cagestructure 22 because in case of predatorial airborne threats, all birdscan take refuge in the existing safe haven 17. Whereas, the wholly manmade artificial cave structure 100 may be extended at one end of thecave to cater for demographic increase in avian population. The roostinghabitat 17 may be a man made nesting structure constructed and modeledto resemble as far as is practicable natural environment and conditionsin which cave dwelling swiftlets thrives.

In another embodiment, specialized man-made ground based structures maybe built in habitat 17 to raise captive bred birds which had undergoneacclimatization and conditioning to the man-made roost. FIG. 3A and FIG.3B shows a man made roosting structure 15 made of hardened earthenhanced with concrete and rocks arranged in the form a hill or cliffwith hollowed out nesting compartments 18 to increase the nestingcapacity of the habitat. The roosting habitat 17 may be constructed atthe base of the cliff 19 and enclosed in a mammoth protective cage 22surrounded by wall cum fence 23 and predator traps 24, 25, 26 and 27.Pieces of rock chips and gravel produced from the excavation of caves,caverns and ledges on cliff face 16 may be used for building roostingstructure 15.

FIG. 3C and FIG. 3D shows an arrangement of pre-fabricated blocks ofhollowed out bricks 54 used to construct a nesting habitat forswiftlets. The blocks are arranged and spaced to maximize verticalnesting surfaces such that birds may cling to the internal hollows andcavities 18 or the external surface of the pock-marked bricks 54. Bothends of brick 54 may be designed with a raised lip 55 and the flooringmay be slanted towards drainage channel 56. Internal surface of thebricks may be serrated with indentations 59 and protrusions 60 providingperching and gripping surfaces for the sharp claws of the birds. Suchblocks of hardened earth bricks 54 may be bound together with fillermaterials comprising wet sticky clay 53 or cement and arranged in astable manner with a larger bottom base tapering off at the top as shownin FIG. 3C for stability. Cavities in between blocks 54 may beinterconnected to provide a passage 58 for wind and to enable birds tomove more freely.

FIGS. 3E and 3F shows differing forms of caves, cavities and crevices 18built with a drain 56 to drain off rain water and a raised edge 55 toprevent chicks from falling out of the cavity. Such features may beincluded into the construction of groves and ledges 57 on the cliff faceto avoid collecting water and to provide a dry environment for the birdsto perch or nest. Protrusions 60 and indentations 59 may be created bydrilling and manual chiseling. Such features may be purposely madeduring construction of crevices to provide gripping surface and nestingniches for swiftlets.

The bottom of ledges and groves may be constructed at a slightedinclined angle to enable natural draining of rainwater into drain 56after a tropical downpour. Such a feature may prove valuable during thebreeding season. Young chicks may drown in stagnant water collected inthe crevice if it falls out of the nests. Raised edges 55 of the nestingcrevice 18 may be helpful in preventing young birds that had fallen outof its nests from crawling and falling out of the nesting cave, over thevertical cliff to certain death. A piece of wood or wire gauge nettingplaced across the bottom of the crevice entrance may serve a similarpurpose.

FIG. 3G shows bird's nests 62 built into a natural cliff face with onlyslight indentations and protrusions. Adult swiftlets 61 sits in thenests to incubate a clutch of eggs.

FIG. 3H shows the cross-sectional view 3H-3H of FIG. 3E.

FIG. 4A illustrates the arrangement of an artificial nesting structureand configuration such that a series of slots or nesting cavities 63separated by panels 64 manufactured from wood, poly-ethylene,polystyrene, poly-propylene, PVC, concrete, cement, etc. may be arrangedand housed inside a frame work 65 comprising wooden or concrete pillars,flooring and walkway 66, staircases and ladders 67. Pre-fabricated boxes68 came complete with built-in nesting cavities and crevices 63. Theinternals of cavity 63 may be serrated with indentations 59 andprotrusions 60 to provide vertical gripping footholds for swiftlets.Walkways 66 surround the nesting structure to provide ease of access bythe farmers and bird handlers. Alternative materials for constructionmay comprise plant fibres, cement, fibrous and other binding materials.

FIGS. 4B, 4C and 4D shows a purpose built nesting habitat in the form ofa rectangular box shaped structure comprising of a fixed panel 69 a andnumerous fixed side panels 70. Panels 71 are movable. Panel 69 a, 70 and71 forms vertical walls with roughened screed surfaces with indentations59 and protrusions 60 for vertical perching as shown in FIG. 4D.Attachment boards 73 may be affixed to panels to strengthen thestructures and serves as ledges upon which nests may be built.Perforations 72 provide passage for wind and swiftlets between panels.

FIG. 4E shows another form of structural configuration in which thenesting panel is designed to maximize provision of nest buildingsurfaces by means of C-shaped nesting channels 76. The flanks may becovered at both ends to prevent hatchlings from falling out andincorporates water draining holes 74 on the left flank of panel 69 a tokeep the cavities 75 dry. The channel 76 may be inclined from right toleft (as indicated by ‘e’) and inclined from the front towards the backfor ease of draining rain water as shown by cross-section 4F-4F in FIG.4F. Serrations comprising indentations 59 and protrusions 60 providevertical clinging surfaces. One side of the panel may be used forvertical perching while the other side may be used for building nestsand perching.

FIG. 4G shows an alternative form of arrangement as disclosed in FIG. 4Eand FIG. 4F in which nesting channels 76 may be configured in a jig-jagform such that a perching protrusion on one side forms the nestingcavity 75 on the opposite side. Such that either sides of panel 69 a maybe used for perching and building nests. The floor 76 of a nestingcavity 75 on top forms the roof of the nesting cavity beneath. The floorand roof 76 of the nesting channel may be inclined from the raised edge55 towards the back wall (slanted from the front to the back).Serrations 59 and 60 may be provided on the internal surfaces of cavity75 of panel 69 a for hatchlings to perch. At 2 to 4 weeks old, swiftletchicks climbs and perches vertically on the wall. An internal cavityperch is conducive for their safety, such that even if they loose theirgrip and fall, they remain within the cavity 75, not to certain deathhundreds of meters below.

FIG. 4H shows yet another alternative form of FIG. 4G in which thecorners and edges of the nesting channels forming the panel 69 a may beplaced horizontally but incorporates draining groves 56 to remove rainwater. Raised edges 55 prevents chicks from falling out of the cavitywhile indentation 59 and protrusion 60 provides vertical perches.

Average width and height of the nesting channels may measure 5 cm×8 cm.Or the channels and cavities (cross-section wise) may be made 10 cmwide×10 cm high if desired to suit A. maximus which is larger in size.The dimensions and measurement of nesting channels and cavities 76 maybe varied to suit the specific needs of different species of swiftletsand design needs of the habitat. Channels 76 of panels 69 a may bedesigned with raised edges 55 incorporating draining groves 56. Theraised edges 55 provides a more secure crevice to prevent chicks fromfalling out of channel 76 while the draining groves 56 and holes 74prevents collection of rainwater. Hatchlings falling out of their nestsmay drown in rain water collected in channel 76. Design features includeinclined and slanted groves with an inclined and non-horizontal designto avoid collection of rain water.

In another form, the groves and ledges on panel 69 a may be designed ata slight inclination from the horizontal position to provide a slightslanting angle ‘e’ such that rainwater naturally flows towards thedraining points 74 or 56 on the panels. Numerous holes and perforations72 are built into the panels for ease of access by swiftlets.Perforations 72 in the panels may also provide a path for wind to passthrough the nesting structure thus reducing stress and strain caused bystrong gusts of wind, keeping the habitat cool and dry. For lowstructures, the moveable panels 71 provides for easy access by humankeepers to check, remove eggs, harvest nest, clean bird feces and guano.Apart from such activities, panels 71 would be kept immobilized.

Such nesting panels 69 a, 70 and 71 may be constructed of concretizedmaterials such as BRC, sand, wire nettings, metal rods and bars;prefabricated concrete; fiber glass; chalk, limestone, silicates,carbonates, etc. reinforced with natural and artificial fibers or otherbinding materials. The nesting cavities 76 may be coated with a layer ofpowder or pieces of ground rocks mixed with a binding agent such ascement. The rocks may be ground from naturally occurring rockscontaining a variety of minerals and salts in different concentrations.Different rock types and compositions may be tested out to study thepossible effects different chemical concentrations have on the bird'snests, their quality, taste, aroma, crunchiness, etc. if any. No data isavailable as no research had been carried out in this area.

Panels may be mounted in the groves of galvanized channels comprising C,U, I and H shapes with adequate horizontal or lateral space of 15 cm to20 cm left in between pieces of panels 69 a (top and bottom) for passageof wind and birds. Depending on the design configuration of the habitat,thousands of pieces of panels 69 a measuring 2 m×5 m×15 cm may beassembled together by means of a lattice of galvanized channels to forma single vertical panel 69 rising 300 meters in height, stretching tenkilometers in length and 15 cm in thickness. Individual pieces of panels69 a may be configured as desired to be of any suitable measurement tomeet site utility requirements. Main panels 69 may be marked for ease ofmanagement and care-taking purposes.

The nesting structure 69 comprising pieces of panels 69 a mounted ingalvanized channels (such as C, U, H, I shaped channels) may beconstructed securely on concrete base and attached together with mortarsor cement, reinforced with numerous struts 83 and anchored to I-beamsstructure 80 and 98. The mounting channels may be dipped into cementslurry and become encased in a protective layer of concrete to preventcorrosion. The whole structure may be constructed on a small hill orearthen mound inside of habitat 17 totally covered by cage structure 22or solid roof 97. Such nesting panels of compatible measurements mayalso be placed inside vacant human dwellings 11 and man made structures14 to increase the nesting capacity of the shelters.

FIG. 4I shows the plan view of a variation of the nesting panel as shownin FIG. 4B such that panel 69 a may be flanked by side panels 70 andmoveable panels 71 forming an octagonal structure. FIG. 4J shows anelevated isometric view of FIG. 4I. FIG. 4K shows another variation inwhich the panels form a hexagonal shape.

FIG. 5A shows the cross-sectional view of another embodiment of presentinvention in which a naturally occurring cave 77 not inhabited byswiftlets may be acquired for conversion into a commercial swiftletsbreeding and production facility for producing edible bird's nests. Suchcaves may be configured and transformed into an avian eco-farm uponconversion of said natural relief with the provision of man madefacilities and structures comprising: horizontal I-beams 80, concretereinforced vertical I-beams 89, hoist beam 81, work cage 82, nestingpanels 69 a mounted in a framework of galvanized channels (C, U, I, Hshaped) to form main panels 69, supporting struts 83, safety netting 84,aerial access-ways 79, etc. in combination with a captive breedingprogram and specialized techniques as disclosed in present invention forbreeding domesticated swiftlets for the production and collection oftons of edible bird's nests. I-beams 80 and 89 may comprise reinforcedconcrete pillars. Cave walls 16 may be modified with nesting crevices18, ledges 57 and roof based aerial access-ways 79 excavated to provideroutes for avian passage. Struts 83 comprising metal bars or largebracing wires are used to hold the main nesting panels 69 in positionand to reinforce the structure of nesting habitat 77. Electric lightsattached to cage 82 may be powered by 12-volts batteries or 12-voltslighting cables providing lights for collectors. For illustrationpurpose, only individual pieces of panel 69 a is described herein forconstructing main panel 69. Other features as disclosed such as panel70, 71, rectangular shape, octagonal shape and hexagonal shapedstructural configurations may also be used.

The I-beams 80 and 89 provides a structural frame work for anchoring alattice of galvanized metallic channels (C, U, I, H shaped) into whichindividual pieces of smaller sized nesting panels 69 a measuring 10 m×5m×10 cm may be are installed and slotted to form the main nesting panels69. Individual panels 69 a are placed into the indentations and grovespresent on these metallic channels. Main panels 69 may measure 100 m×50m×10 cm. The structure also supports installation of an overhead craneor hoist 82 mounted on moveable hoist-beam 81. Motorized hoists 82 maybe used initially for construction and conversion of natural cave 77into nesting habitat 17 and later on for the collection of eggs andchicks for captive breeding, harvesting nests and for facility checks,inspection, repair and maintenance work. Access via the terrestrialentrance 78 may be controlled by means of gates, guards and predatortraps.

In yet another embodiment the features of FIG. 2A to 2J may be combinedand integrated with FIG. 4B to FIG. 4G to form a high density habitat 17as shown in FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C (top view), such that the valley may beturned into a high rise nesting habitat for breeding swiftlets in anavian “condominium.” A lattice of galvanized steel channels comprisingC, U, I, H and V shaped channels attached to a structural frameworkprovided by I-beams 80 and 89 may be used to hold nesting panels 69 a inplace. I-beams 80 and 89 structural framework may also be used to mountan overhead hoists system 81, 82, 86 to 91. Each main panels 69 may bemounted vertically and assembled from a hundred individual pieces ofsmaller sized panels 69 a (10 m×5 m×10 cm) to form a gigantic doublesided nesting wall measuring, for example, 100 meters in height×50meters in length×10 cm thick. An adjacent panel built end to end withthe first panel extends the length to 100 meters. Now the main panel 69measures 100 m×100 m×10 cm. The total length of main panel 69 may beextended further with the addition of new panels as the populationincrease. Such a configuration provides maximum surface area fornesting. Side panels 70 may be added and attachment boards 73 may beaffixed.

A man made panel 69, similar to a natural valley had two vertical faces.Ten pieces of panels spaced at regular intervals constructed in thenatural valley increases the vertical nesting surface area of themodified valley by 10 times. Upon modification, the valley is now ableto support a colony of swiftlets 10 times the population density of itsoriginal and naturally occurring capacity. Likewise, if the valley isfitted with 20 vertical nesting panels, conditions permitting, it shallbe able to support an avian population density 20 times of its initialnesting capacity. Such man made modifications improves the overallefficiency of the production facility, its cost effectiveness, economiesof scale and high productivity per unit area or per unit volume of theedible bird's nest production facility. Wire cage 22 and girders 21covering the habitat may also be replaced and substituted by a solidroofing structure 97 mounted on girders 105.

Referring to FIG. 5C, the moveable I-beams mounting 81 may be installedfor operating a crane or hoist to lift work-cage 82. The mechanizedlifting system may comprise of specially adapted equipment configured tosuit the specific utility purpose of the edible bird's nest productionfacility. Standard industrial lifting equipment including cable drums86, cable 90, block and tackle 91 powered by electric motors 87, 88 and89 may be acquired for use in the avian eco-farm. Main motor 87 movesload 82 vertically up and down in between nesting panels 69; motor 88moves the load, work-cage 82 between point AB and point CD, from one endof the main nesting panel 69 to the other end; while motor 89 moves thework-cage 82 between point AD and point BC, from one nesting panel toanother. Hoist beam 81 is supported and moves on top of a framestructure of I-beams 80 resting on reinforced concrete bases 92.Protruding rails 93 and groves 94 on the I-beams 80 acts as guide railsfor propulsion of the overhead hoist.

The hoist system 82 may initially be used for constructing the nestinghabitat; later for inspection, repair, maintenance work and forcollection of eggs, swiftlet chicks and harvesting of edible bird'snests built on panels hundreds of meters above ground level. Struts 83holding the nesting panels in position with washers may be firmlyattached to the cliff face by means of hooks 96 and spring 95 designedto cushion distortional forces. The lattice work of channels (I, H, U,C, V shaped) holding main panels 69 together may also be partiallyattached and secured to the structure of I-beam girders 80 at the top,and mounted on a concrete base at the bottom.

Occupational safety and health hazards associated with working at greatheights collecting edible bird's nests, eggs or hatchlings hundreds ofmeters above the ground may be mitigated with control measures,industrial lifting equipment, a rigorous safety management system andproper training of personnel. Safe access to work at great heights maybe achieved by means of standard industrial hoists and tower cranes,winches, mobile cranes, man-lift trucks and associated liftingequipment. A hoist designed to lift 5 to 10 tons of load may be used forlifting a work cage 82. Or two persons seated side by side facing theopposite direction may be able to thoroughly work and comb throughsections in between two nesting panels facing each other as thework-cage 82 is hoisted up and down the vertical faces in combinationwith horizontal movement. In an alternative seating arrangement, a teamof four collectors seated in a straight row with each alternate personfacing the opposite direction may be used to cover a larger area.

Use of safety belts and harnesses integrated into the man-lifts 82 beingmade mandatory such that only upon a positive buckling-up permissivelogic from the seats may the controls of a hoist or crane be operatedand activated by the occupant(s). Each collector may also be secured todouble strands of safety lines 85 affixed independently of the liftingand hoisting apparatus. The securing point for the safety line 85 may bethe top roofing structure 105 or girders 21 of the nesting habitat 17.Safety cable or line 85 may be designed to move along secure railingsbuilt parallel to the orientation of the nesting panels such that thesafety lines closely follow collectors moving from one end of the mainnesting panel 69 to the other end. The railing may be secured to thestructure of girders 105. (Referring to FIG. 5C: between point BC andpoint AD). The safety line may also be released and reeled inautomatically as the hoist is moved up and down the main nesting panels69.

Alternatively, line 85 may comprise of fixed lengths of double strandedlines running from the top roofing structure 105 to the ground level.Line 85 may be weighed down with a slight weight (e.g. 2 kg) at thebottom end of the line to keep it taunt. Such that as the collectormoves up or down at slow speed, the safety clip allows and follows thismovement, sliding freely up or down safety cable 85. If and when theload (collector) moves down at a fast speed, the clip automaticallylocks and lashes onto line 85, gripping tightly onto it to arrest andstop the load from falling further. Such safety clips based on similarworking principles are widely used in vehicle seat belts, mountaineeringequipment and industrial safety systems for working at heights. They arereadily available in the market and may be acquired for use. For thepurpose of redundancy a minimum of at least two pieces of safety clipsmust be used by each collector, each clip securely attached to onestrand of line. Four pieces being the ideal figure. Functional tests forsuch safety clips may be made mandatory before a collector starts workeach and every time he secures himself to the safety line. He may testthe integrity of the safety clips by pulling the clips down line 85 atspeed, and ensuring that the clips locks and latches onto line 85 eachtime.

The control room should have overall control of the operations of allmechanized lifting systems with secondary control being delegated to thecollectors and harvesters upon requisition via radio communication andconfirmation by means of CCTV monitoring of the work area. Securing ofpersonal safety harness(es) to work cage 82, and attachment to safetylines 85 being made a mandatory requirement such that positiveconfirmation of the attachment of safety lines 85 forms an essentialsignal input for the electronic logic sequence to supply power to themechanized lifting systems.

In one form of intrinsic safety design, a low voltage current (12 volts)is input into the cables of safety line 85 and work cage 82. Safetylines 85 may form the positive terminal while work cage 82 and the mainhoist lines 90 forms the negative terminal. Only when safety lines 85are properly secured to the work cage 82 at designated points can theelectrical circuit be complete. This complete circuit forms a positiveinput signal to the PLC to enable power to be supplied to the hoistingmechanisms. If the safety lines are removed, this circuit is broken, andpower to the hoist is cut off. The control center may over-ride such apower cut off to lower the work cage 82 safely to the ground. Similarmechanisms may be applied to the safety harnesses and safety beltsattached securely to the seats of work cage 82 to form another positiveinput signal to enable the mechanized lifting system to power up.Circuits from the 12 volt supply may also be connected to lampsproviding light to the nest collectors. If these lights fail thecollector is visually alerted and immediately aware that the safety lineconnection to his safety harness or safety belts of work cage 82 may befaulty. He may immediately double check his life-lines 85 and to informthe control room. Such redundancy in intrinsic safety design ensures thesafety of collectors harvesting edible bird's nest at great heights, andminimize risks involved with such occupational hazards. In contrasttraditional methods of collecting and harvesting edible bird's nests bymeans of flimsily constructed climbing apparatus had resulted in manynest collectors having fallen to their deaths from great heights. Use ofsuch unsafe equipment should be avoided. If no mechanical liftingsystems are available for access to collect nests built intoinaccessible nooks and crannies, modern mountaineering equipment shouldbe employed, not for pleasure or thrill, but for occupational purposes.

Pieces or lengths of fine mosquito netting or soft silky cloth 84 may bearranged at the bottom of the cliff face 16 or nesting panels 69 to forma safety net to save the lives of swiftlet chicks that had accidentallyfallen out of their nests or fledglings learning to fly but failed toexecute proper take-offs or lost control during the maiden flight. Thenetting may be secured by means of pliant elastic bands which wouldbounce, helping to cushion and absorb the shock of falling chicks. Thenetting may be placed in a slanting position such that fallen fledglingsmay be naturally diverted by gravity towards collection points to bebrought to greenhouse 33 for rearing. Reduction in avian infantmortality rates helps to ensure a larger population for producing ediblebird's nests.

FIG. 5D shows the cross-sectional view and illustrates the conversion ofa single sided cliff face 16 as shown in FIG. 2E above, into anintegrated facility for breeding a huge colony of swiftlets forproducing tons of edible bird's nest by means of providing thousands ofnesting panels 69 mounted in a framework comprising of girders andI-beams structure to which is attached a lattice of channels shaped inthe form of (C, U, I, H and V). Each main panel 69 may measure 200meters (height)×100 meters (length)×10 centimeters (thickness) and maycomprise 400 pieces of small sized panels assembled together, eachslotted into the grove and indentations provided by these galvanizedchannels. C and U shaped channels may be used at the edge of main panelsfor framing a single side of panel 69, while I and H shaped channels maybe used in the middle portions of main panel 69 for securing two piecesof panel 69 together. Each individual piece of panel 69 may measure 10m×5 m×10 cm. Physical arrangements and configuration of the size of mainpanel 69 may be varied to suit local terrain and geographic conditions(e.g. cliff height). Such that an unproductive natural relief may beturned into a highly productive breeding facility for producing ediblebird's nest upon such man made modification. Horizontally mountedI-beams 80 may be supported by vertically mounted I-beams 98. Thesurface of the beams may be covered with concrete while the lower partof I-beam 98 may be encased in reinforced concrete footings 99 toprevent corrosion. Top roofing 97 may be constructed of solid coversmade of concrete and roofing materials comprising corrugated zinc orgalvanized metal sheets, calcium silicates, calcium carbonates such aschalk, limestone or water resistant wood chips bound together withbinding materials. Such materials are readily available in the marketand may also be acquired for constructing roofing and roosting panels.Roof 97 is securely attached to the I-beam structure 80, 98 and clifftop 20. The facility may include mechanized lifting systems andequipment 81, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91 and mobile work station 82;hoisting apparatus 160 to 180 as shown in FIG. 8A to FIG. 8D may also beused for collecting nests built in cavities and caves 18 on cliff face16; support struts 83, safety netting 84. The flanks may be fullycovered by solid walled structures constructed of wood, bricks, stonesand concrete, while other parts of the habitat may still be covered incage structure 21 and 22.

Normally, the interior of the roof 97 has a low air flow compared to theexterior, which comprises natural air drafts of variable wind speed dueto dynamic changes in weather and climatic conditions. During tropicalstorms, strong gusts of wind may blow over the external structure of theroof 97, while the slight draft of the internal surface remainsunchanged. This difference in wind speed between the interior andexterior of roof 97 creates a differential pressure since slow movingair exerts a higher pressure than fast moving air. Thus the air pressureacting on the internal surface of the roof is greater than the airpressure exerted on the external surface, causing a wind-lift effect asexperienced by the aerodynamic shapes of aircraft wings.

Such a wind-lift or wind-levitation (“wind-lev”) effect may cause theroof 97 to shear and be blown off easily. Top roofing structure 97 and105 may include multiple wind-speed monitors and dynamic pressuresensors 118 mounted on the exterior and interior of the wholly man madeartificial cave structure 100. During gusty weather conditions,specially configured trap doors 110 on the roof may be designed toautomatically swing open allowing wind from the exterior of roof 97 toenter habitat 17. Conversely, the vacuuming effect of the external draftsucks the interior air out of habitat 17, causing the internal draft tomove faster. Such that interior wind speed picks up until it nearlyequalizes the external wind speed. In one form, vanes type trap doors110 may be activated by means of manual or motorized systems to preventand avoid stress, strains and damages caused by wind-lev to the roofstructure (due to pressure differential). Such vanes type trap doors 110may be manually activated by the control room when the automated doors110 failed to cope with the wind lev. effects. Or, coupled to automatedactivation electronics to open or close by itself.

In another form, trap door 110 may comprise of a spring loaded slidingapparatus designed to open automatically by means of wind-lev effects.Trap door 110 may be designed to open outward during windy conditions.Higher internal air pressure pushes trap door 110 upwards such that thespring loaded doors are automatically pulled open by the springs. Thuswind from the exterior enters the interior of habitat 17 and moves theair in the vicinity of the interior surface of the roof beforedispersing through exit points. As the internal wind speed picks up toequalize the external wind speed, the wind-lev effects on the roofingstructure is neutralized and cancelled out.

FIG. 5E shows the cross-sectional view 5E-5E of FIG. 5F in anotherembodiment of present invention. A wholly man made artificial cavestructure 100 both emulative and simulative of naturally occurring cavelike conditions may be constructed to form an edible bird's nestproduction facility to breed and accommodate an ultra high density avianpopulation comprising tens of millions of swiftlets. Such a man madeshelter may be structurally configured into a roosting habitat 17comprising I-beams 80 and 98, a lattice work of galvanized channels inthe form of C, U, I, H and V shapes may be used in securing individualpieces of panels 69 a assembled to form the main nesting panels 69;industrial hoists (81, 82, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91) and supporting struts83 forming the internals.

This internal structure may be surrounded by man made “cave” wallsconstructed from rocks and stones, clay and concrete comprising theexternal structure. The lower portion of the wall may comprise largeblocks of rocks 101 bound together with stainless steel (SS 316) wires103 and concrete, resting against a reinforced concrete wall 104. Theupper portion of the wall may be constructed of smaller stones 102 boundwith SS 316 wires and concrete. Alternatively the cave walls may beconstructed from commercially available rectangular pieces of brickscemented together with mortar and concrete. Blocks of bricks asdisclosed in FIG. 3D above may also be used as building components toconstruct the walls and incorporated into the structure. While the fullycovered roof 97 may be constructed from solid concrete and galvanizedsteel sheets secured to girders 105. The outer covering of stone wallsmay be constructed with water retaining features and soil medium 109 tosupport vegetative growth 111 covering the whole avian habitat 17 andbreeding structure in natural greenery and providing a cooling internalenvironment.

The caves system may be partitioned and segregated into sectionsinternally by walls for the purpose of cave management. Passages andaccess ways may be incorporated into the internal walls to enablepassage of wind and birds. Such a method effectively isolates completedcaves ready for occupation by swiftlets from new extension andconstruction works. It also makes possible the isolation of wholesections of the partitioned caves for disease control purposes such asthe fumigation of pests like ticks and lice. The cave may measure 200meters high and 300 meters wide at the base in cross-section.Lengthwise, the cave system may be scalable with new extensions beingcontinuously added to accommodate avian demographic growth,theoretically estimated at a rate of 300 percent per year.

Skylight 107 provides natural light for the habitat 17 while lamp 103may be specially configured to produce red wave-length of 620 nm to 730nm as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,767 by El Halawani to increasethe reproductive rates of poultry. Such a method may be tested out andif found suitable, acquired for use in enhancing the reproductive rates,eggs laying and nesting activities of tens of millions of swiftlets inproducing large amounts and huge quantities comprising tons of ediblebird's nests each nesting season (under licensing agreement). Light isof no importance to swiftlets for flights in caves as they rely on ahighly developed bio-sonar system and echo-location techniques tonavigate in total darkness.

All girders and structures may be designed to rest on rollers surroundedby laterally mounted springs to cushion and negate damages due to earthtremors. The footing of main panel 69 and securing galvanized C, U, Iand H shaped channels may be encased in a concrete base 108. Numerousaccess ways 79 may be designed and built underneath the edge of roof 97and stone wall 102 for swiftlets to enter and exit a wholly man madeartificial cave structure 100, and to enable passage of air andcirculation. Holes left in between the stones 101 and 102 used to buildthe cave wall also assist in air circulation.

FIG. 5F shows the bird's eye view of a wholly man made artificial cavestructure 100 built for breeding swiftlets to produce edible bird'snests. The breeding and production facility may occupy a spreadcomprising 100 hectares with open land reserved for the futureconstruction of additional breeding facility. The facility may besurrounded by a high walled structure 113 with guard towers 114 built ontop of an elevated bund 112 ringed by a moat 24. Wall 113 may beprotected by the predator traps arrangement as disclosed above and shownin FIG. 2G and FIG. 2H. Rain water retained in soil medium 109 supportsvegetative growth 111 for plants such as creepers, lianas, rottan, etc.providing coverage and shade for the cave system, cooling and shroudingit in greenery. Bird's droppings and guano collected from cave floor maybe used as fertilizer in the eco-farm to provide sustenance to shrubsand plants. Rail track 115 provides ease of transportation and goodscarriage within the breeding cum nest production facility. Tower crane116 installed on a moveable base may be installed to carry out the mainconstruction work such that the crane may be shifted to one flank of thehabitat for further expansion work due to the rapid growth in avianpopulation (300% per year). Due to the height of structures measuringhundreds of meters, lightning arrestors 117 may be incorporated into thebuildings such as the wholly man made artificial cave structure 100 andsentry towers 114. Lightning conductors 117 may also be installedindependently around the whole facility to protect the eco-farm fromlightning strikes. Wind-speed monitors and pressure sensors 118 may beinstalled on top of roofing 97 to detect and warn of wind directions,speeds and differential pressures build up which may cause potentiallydisastrous wind-lev. effects to the roofing structures 97 and 105.

All roosting structures and nesting habitats should be designed to bewell ventilated, well drained, dry, cool and humid in the hot tropicalweather. Well ventilated structures with natural drafts may be assistedwith motorized fans to induce artificial drafts during windless days.Cooling internal temperatures may be maintained at 25 to 30 degreesCentigrade in a dry environment, and maintained with appropriate heatingand air conditioning systems. Brightness and humidity (90%) should beemulative of the natural cave environment. Humidity should be controlledwith appropriate humidifiers to maintain the high humidity of about 90%.All artificial roosting structures should have foot holds and grips 59,60 built for swiftlets to perch vertically. Ledges 57 may be cut intocliff-face 16 and caves 18 dug while hollow bricks, nesting panels andcrevices should be made with rough and serrated internal surfaces 59, 60for providing footholds for swiftlets to cling securely onto verticalsurfaces, such that the cliff face and caves may be chopped with an axe.The structures should be designed to maximize vertical surface area forswiftlets to cling to and built their nests. Rough screed surfaces suchas pock marks, small holes and raises, indentations 59, protrusions 60and groves 57 may be included in the design of all nesting structures tomaximize vertical gripping and clinging surfaces for the swiftlets andjuveniles. Perforations 72 and 58 may provide ease of passage for windand birds. The top of the structure may be partially covered and thehabitat mounted on top of an earthen hill or mound.

The nesting habitat, swiftlets breeding and edible bird's nestsproduction facility may comprise of a combination of: a wholly man madeartificial caves structure 100, converted natural caves 77, modifiednatural cliffs 16, man made roosting structures 15, 54, 63 to 68,including purposely abandoned human dwellings 11; and buildings 14purposely left vacant; or similar man made structures specially built toattract and provide swiftlets with a safe and sheltered breeding andnesting site.

External wall and fencing 23, high walled structure 113 and guard towers114, predator traps, enveloping cage 22, moat 24, solid roof structure97 and 105, a wholly man made artificial cave structure 100 and securityarrangements as disclosed in present invention protects the swiftletsfrom natural enemies comprising airborne predators and birds of preysuch as owls, hawks, eagles, raptors, peregrines, bats (attacks chicks)etc; terrestrial predators and wild animals such as squirrels, wildcats, civet cats, mongooses, monkeys, snakes, lizards, large carnivorouscrickets (attacks chicks), etc.; and prevents the roosting habitat frominfestation by natural pests such as mice, small rodents, soldier ants,cockroaches, ticks and lice, etc. allowing extermination of such verminwith ease.

During non-breeding seasons in day time, after all the swiftlets hadgone feeding, individual sections of the caves system 100 or 77 whichare partitioned and segregated from the rest of habitat 17 by internalwalls may be closed off and isolated for fumigation. All passages andaccess ways 79 leading to the cavity may be closed to prevent birds fromentering. Liquefied chlorine (Cl2) stored in 1 ton drums may bevaporized and piped via SS-316 or PVC tubing to the roof structure 97and 105, and released from the roof-top to fill the cavity with aconcentration of 5 ppm to 10 ppm of chlorine.

The chlorine gas may be held in the cavity and allowed to “soak” for afew hours. Then all access ways 79 and trap doors 110 are opened topurge the cave cavity. During the soak period, the chlorine gasconcentration may be maintained by top-up releases. Standard personalprotective equipment such as chlorine gas masks with heavy duty filtersand self-contained breathing apparatus may be worn to protect personnel.The cleansed cavity may remain closed to swiftlets for a few days forthe pungent smell to clear before being re-opened for habitation. Or,large industrial fans with blades 4 to 5 meters in diameter may be usedto provide forced draught to purge the fumigated cavity of chlorine gas.Such a mobile fan mounted on wheels may be brought to site by rail 115,and forced draught channeled into the cave cavity by means of air ducts.Such a fumigation operation may be carried out at regular intervals toexterminate ticks and lice. The short coming being that, though livingticks may be wiped out by chlorine gas, eggs may still remain viable tohatch later on. Besides liquid chlorine gas supplied in drums andcylinders, powders or liquid solutions of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) orcalcium hypochlorite (Ca[OCl]2) may also be used to produce chlorine gasfor fumigation. Other industrial gases such as hydrogen sulphide andcarbon monoxide may also be used.

Alternatively nesting panels 69 may also be cleaned with high pressurewater jets produced by hydro-jetting machines to remove ticks, lice aswell as their eggs, which may be laid in minute crevices and niches,such that only a high pressure water jet may dislodge and flush themout. Cleaners carrying hydro jetting nozzles attached to high pressurewater hoses may access the nesting panels 69 using hoists and work cages82. Cleaning works should commence from the uppermost level of the panelhundreds of meters above, gradually working down to the ground level.Water jets also helps to clear and clean the nesting panels 69 of ediblebird's nest impurities such as bird feces and feathers. A clean nestingpanel produces clean and very high quality edible bird's nests.

Such pest control measures may help to address and rectifyhabitat-population constraints posed by lethal pressures from ticks.Odorless and bio-degradable insecticides may also be used to exterminatethe ticks. Poison baits may also be used for exterminating mice, rats,cockroaches etc. Sulphur pellets may be scattered around the perimeterof 17 to deter snakes.

Ample signage may be placed at the farm periphery providing warning tohuman intruders. The perimeter wall and fence 23 may be protected andreinforced with multiple layers or a grid of extremely high voltageelectrical wiring (e.g. 2 to 10 kilovolts) configured to deter largerintruders or predators such as wild buffalos, tigers, bears, etc.Electricity from normal 220 volts supply may be stepped up by means oftransformers to 415 volts or thousands of volts as desired to repulseunwanted intruders. Such powerful deterrence also guards againstincursions by thieves and poachers. Alternatively, a high surroundingsolid wall 113 complete with watch towers 114 may be erected in place ofthe perimeter wall cum fence 23.

Armed guards may patrol the edible bird's nests production facility tokeep out human predators such as poachers, nest robbers and thieves withadditional guards and patrols deployed during the nesting seasons,collection and delivery of edible nests. Communications may bemaintained by means of radio transmitters and instant messaging usingmulti-media mobile personal gadgets. Closed circuit televisions andweb-cams monitoring the site may be viewed at a local control centre andexternal links with a centralized monitoring center by means of modernsatellite and land based telecommunications network and the Internet.Backup resources on hot standby may be instantly deployable in responseto detected human threats.

Such safety and security risks mitigating measures may be used to reduceavian mortality and improve survival rates of the birds to enhance farmpopulation. Consequently, a greater quantity of nests can be producedfor collection leading to improved productivity of the eco-farm.Comparative to conditions in the wild in which swiftlets are subject tothe vagaries of nature such as scarcity of food and high mortality ratesdue to predation of adult birds and chicks; secure avian farms enhancesconditions for the nesting, breeding and rearing of swiftlets therebyincreasing productivity of the edible bird's nests production facility.Favorable conditions that only a farm environment can provide. Birds maybe kept in the gigantic enclosed aviary 22 (100,000 cubic meters, or amillion cubic meters in volumetric capacity and flight space) blendedinto the natural environment and setting with a plentiful supply ofnutrients.

When nesting season approaches, adult swiftlets may select suitablesites to build new nests in which to lay eggs and raise the young suchas crevices 18 or on any part of the vertical nesting habitat. Duringthe breeding season, each pair of little birds can produce a full nestof saliva the weight of their own body in 45 days. The saliva isproduced from a pair of sublingual glands located beneath the tongue ofthe birds. Ducts from the glands open into the floor of the mouth. Boththe male and female birds have a pair of these glands and contributetowards nest building during the breeding season. Nests built of stickysaliva comprises of a gelatinous substance.

Normally a clutch of 2 eggs are laid in the nests of domesticated birdswhich may be partially removed and collected for hatching in incubator30 at site. Eggs remaining in the nests may be naturally hatched and theyoung brought up by the parent swiftlets. Such a step relieves parentbirds of the need in providing food for all the chicks upon hatching,enabling more food to be made available and provided to a smaller numberof chicks. Minimizing stunted growth or death due to starvation improvesthe survival rates of chicks.

In an extension of the captive breeding program, eggs collected from thenests of the domesticated birds at the farm may in turn be brought toanother location for hatching by means of incubators and hatcheries 30in newly established eco-farms similar to the parent facility. Likewise,swiftlets chicks in nest or clinging on to the walls and main nestingpanels 69 of habitat 17 may be collected and brought to green house 33for acclimatization. Or, relocated to another location to populate anewly constructed swiftlets breeding facility for producing ediblebird's nest, and to establish a new colony of swiftlets at site.

In another embodiment of present invention, upon hatching from theincubators 30, young chicks are moved to the captive breeding sectionequivalent to an “avian training school” 33 where young birds may bekept in a controlled green-house environment where the temperature,humidity, ventilation, etc are controlled. Hatchlings may be hand fed aconcoction of semi-solid food comprising porridge or gruel of rice,tapioca or sago flour mixed with ground fish, meat, sago worms,vitamins, minerals, fortifying medications and nutrients by thehandlers. A broth made from ground flour of other seed grains andstaples like maize, barley, wheat, etc. may also be used. Pipettes andsyringes may be used as feeding utensils to nurse the chicks up to 8times a day. Worms from the wormery may be provided as the chicks openstheir eyes and grow larger. Pelletized feed may be given such that youngchicks (of chicken) pecking at worms and feed pellets may be used tophysically demonstrate and impart the appropriate feeding skills to theswiftlet chicks. Swiftlets chicks may likely follow such demonstrativeteachings and example on the part of the young chicks (of chicken). Thegreen-house 33 may be designed to resemble the natural cave habitatwhere they are fed, cared for and brought up by their human handlersmanually to create a bonding, recognition, taming and attachment to itscolonial roosting habitat and “masters.” This may be similar to rearingof house-hold pets such as cats and dogs; domesticated farm animals suchas horses, cattle and sheep; or domestic fowls such as chicken andducks; such that the animals recognizes their human handlers andmasters.

When juvenile chicks started learning to fly, the young birds may bequarantined and their wings clipped temporarily to restrain and preventfull flight until they had grown larger and stronger. Such that youngjuvenile birds may still be able to fly at low heights and shortdistances. At this stage, both the artificially hatched and naturally(parent) hatched chicks collected from nesting habitat 17 may be rearedtogether in the green-house enclosure 33 for pre-mediated conditioning,training and acclimatization so that they can learn to recognize theirhuman handlers and adapt to the “home” environment. As juvenile bird(s)represents easy prey for their natural predators and bullying by adultbirds other than parents, chicks may be raised and kept in thegreen-house enclosures 33 for a certain period of time (e.g. two months)until they have grown larger before being transferred into a fullyenclosed transitional facility 28 forming part of the nesting habitat 17with wire netting spaced 1×1 cm apart. This ensures bonding of thefledglings to the colony from the moment they are born. Juvenile birdsmay be kept caged for another 6 months in the transitional facility 28before being transferred into the adult bird's nesting habitat 17 tofollow adult birds to search for natural food in the vicinity 39 of theavian farm. The fully enclosed roosting habitat 17 may be designed andconfigured to nest hundreds of thousands of swiftlets.

Musical, optical effects and human touch may be employed and used forconditioning and acclimatization of fledglings to handlers and mastersand to create a sense of belonging. Training may also include apre-arranged audible signal such as the sound of a whistle, bell, anaudio based stimulus for the purpose of feeding, return to roost, etc.And to inculcate a positive response subject to such a stimulus by meansof a “stimuli-response-reward” mechanism, such that responding birds areamply rewarded with large succulent sago worms. Such that a response tosuch an external man made stimuli becomes automatically ingrained intothe brains and minds of the birds by accustoming them to said stimulifrom young. Such habitual response being akin to reflex actions;behavioral based actions; a daily practice; a custom; rites of passage;a ritual pattern inculcated by means of training, conditioning andindoctrination from birth.

In another embodiment, juvenile birds may be trained in evasivetechniques, reflex actions and survival skills by means of audio-visualand real-life practical lessons. In one form, cages of juvenile birdsmay be placed next to live predators, such that they may develop anintuitive capacity for the identification and cognizance of predatorialthreats while young. In another form, cages with an enveloping externalcover of finer mesh (1 cm×1 cm gaps) comprising 2 internal sectionsseparated by a grill (4 cm×12 cm gaps) may be used for more advancedtraining. Small “escape cages” 37 with (4×12 cm gaps) grills may also beplaced in the large cage. Juvenile birds are released into one side. Asmall fully covered cage containing birds of prey kept hidden in onecorner of the facility may be suddenly opened to release the predatorsinto the enclosure. Scaring and frightening the juvenile birds, causinga flight of survival into the adjacent section by going through thegrills. Likewise, birds may escape by hiding in the small yellow “escapecages.” Such live exercises and training may be used to teach juvenilebirds to recognize the safety of home, which is the “safe-haven” of thecolony.

Alternatively, a single enclosure may be used for training with numeroussmall cages painted in yellow placed inside. To escape from thepredators, all the birds need to hide inside the “escape cages.” Replicaescape cages 37 resembling those used in training may be placed atstrategic locations in the vicinity surrounding the avian farm in apre-arranged step for creating a mini safe-haven such that in times ofdanger, or while being chased by a predator, birds may escape by hidinginside the cages 37.

In an alternative arrangement, fully domesticated juvenile birds may bereleased to seek natural foods upon maturing, reaching an age of sixmonths to nine months (dependent upon growth rates which varies from onefarm or area to another), or reached a stage when they can reasonablyfend for themselves, having been properly trained in survival techniquesas disclosed. The enclosure comprising transitional facility 28 may beopened as disclosed in FIG. 2J to allow parent birds to lead their grownoff-springs to forage for natural food outside of the enclosure. Suchthat upon release juvenile birds returns to its avian colony and nestinghabitat at dusk.

Referring to FIG. 2J detailed disclosure of the operational arrangementshall be described herein. The whole structure 22 may be made of finemesh with 1½×1½ cm gaps. The access ways 49 of the enclosure 22comprising grills 50 spaced with gaps 4×12 cm apart may be kept openduring the day and fully shut at night to keep the birds inside by meansof a sliding frame work 52 containing fine mesh 51 spaced 1½×1½ cmapart. Mesh 50 may be spaced 6×15 cm apart. Such a mechanism enablesspeedy quarantine, treatment of injured birds, administration ofmedication, growth hormone, reproductive hormone, inoculation againstavian diseases, veterinary health checks to be carried out, etc. Toenter or exit, swiftlets may fly straight through the horizontal slotsin the access way, or fly to the vertical slots of metal grills 50,perch vertically by grasping the grills with their claws. Squeeze andturn their bodies through the slot or aperture 49 before flying to thenesting structure or feeding ground. The wire mesh of access way 49 maybe designed just large enough to allow adult swiftlets to pass through,yet too small to allow the entry of larger predators, airborne orterrestrial. The configuration of the cage grill spacing may be variedto cater for different species of swiftlets: A. fuciphagus is 9 cm longand weighs 15 to 18 grams; A. unicolor is 12 cm long; A. maximus has awingspan of 13 cm and weighs 28 grams.

In an alternative arrangement, the whole enclosure comprising roostinghabitat 17 (except 28) for adult birds may be constructed of wire meshor grills spaced 4×12 cm apart such that swiftlets may enter and exitfreely at will from any part of the protective cage structure 22 whileairborne predators are kept out of the nesting habitat.

In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,759,224 and 6,001,146 Olivier et. al. teaches adevice and method for the continuous treatment of waste by means of flylarvae. Such a waste treatment method and device may also be used toraise larvae and worms to provide bird feed, and may be acquired underlicense if necessary. In present invention fly larvae are bred for thepurpose of providing bird feed.

FIG. 6A shows the detailed layout plan of a specialized facility andapparatus 29 configured for breeding worms to provide a steady supply offood-grubs. Cultivated worms grown in the “wormery” may be supplied tothe roosting habitat 17 and greenhouse 33 for feeding thousands ofhatchlings and chicks. Fast growth type of worms such as maggots of thehousefly Musca domestica, Fannia canicularis, Stomoxys calcitrans,Calliphora spp., Lucilla spp. or other insects may be bred in such afacility. Worm production facility 29 may be configured and constructedto produce hundreds of millions of worms for bird feed every day,especially during the nesting season. Parent bird(s) regurgitates thesemi-digested food in its stomach to feed its chicks.

Adult flies are bred in compartment 121 to provide eggs for breedinglarvae and worms. Each female house flies of the Genus Musca spp. suchas Musca domestica can lay up to 500 eggs in batches of 100 eggs each.The eggs are white at about 1.2 mm in length. The larvae hatch from theeggs within one day and are pale whitish measuring 3-9 mm long, thin atthe mouth end and without legs. Adult flies live from two weeks to onemonth. Other fly species which may also be bred in such a wormproduction facility 29 includes species similar to the M. domestica suchas Fannia canicularis, Stomoxys calcitrans, Calliphora spp. and Lucillaspp. The lesser housefly F. canicularis, is smaller and more slenderthan M. domestica while the stable fly S. calcitrans, looks similar toM. domestica but has a longer piercing mouth part used to penetrate theskin of humans and animals in order to suck blood.

Small trays 120 containing organic feed materials are put in egg layingcompartment 121 for adult flies to deposit their eggs. After one daytrays 120 maybe removed and placed into the numerous adjacentcompartments 122 on breeding trays 123 for incubation, hatching andgrowing as shown in FIG. 6B. Kept in the warm tropical environmentlarvae (maggots) hatches from the eggs within one day. Tray 123 may bemounted on an inclined sloping floor as indicated by ‘e’ slanted towardscollection trench 124. Facility 29 maintains a high temperature andhumidity in order to accelerate incubation and breeding rates.Galvanized zinc sheet roofing material may be used to provide a highdaytime temperature of above 30 degrees C. Nozzle 119 provides waterkeep the humidity of the worms breeding facility high. Food for feedingworms may also be placed on wire mesh spacer 1 cm to 2 cm high onbreeding trays 123.

The population of compartment 121 may be maintained by in-breeding offlies such that designated feed trays 120 placed in 121 may be keptpermanently in the compartment. Adult flies feeds on the nutrients andlaid eggs in the trays. Larvae hatches and in turn, fed on thenutrients. When the larvae mature, they pupate before transforming intoflies. The floor and sides of compartment 121 may be kept dank and darkwith a plentiful supply of cavities for larvae to pupate. Such cavitiesmay be provided by means of man made honey combed lattice structures, orthe hollow cavities provided by dried out bones of animals used to feedthe flies may be used to provide a pupating habitat. Larvae uponcrawling into such cavities, finds a conducive environment in which toform pupas, before metamorphosing to emerge as flies.

In compartment 122 feed stock comprising organic materials such asanimal remains obtained from slaughter houses, abattoirs and fishmarkets, etc. may be used to provide nourishment to raise the maggots.Water may be provided by nozzles 119 in mist form sprinkled onto thetrays to keep the moisture level high. After 3 to 4 days, grown worms inthe array of inclined breeding trays 123 are ready for harvesting beforethe end of the 3rd instar or the pupae stage.

A manual harvesting method may be used in which the netting containingfeed materials may be held up using a pair of thongs and tapped to shakeoff the worms. Worms may also be separated from the feed materials andphysically dislodged by means of soft bristle brushes and brooms. Thedislodged larvae may then be manually swept by brushes into a collectionbin 130 placed beneath discharge point 129 at the end of the array oftrays 123. Alternatively, jets of pressurized air discharged via nozzles126 may be used to dislodge the worms from the feeding materials, pushedto the discharge point 129 and into bin 130 to be packed off to habitat17 or green house 33 as bird feed. Upon being touched by hand or air,fly larvae instinctively curled up into a round ball and thus easilyrolled around. On a dry smooth surface a good blow with our mouth mayroll the spherically shaped larvae a distance of one meter. Air jets maybe used to propel and push dislodged worms out of the discharge point129 into collection bin 130. Collection bin 130 may be manually broughtto apparatus 127 and its content poured into sieve tray 127 for cleaningand separation. Worms spilled outside of bin 130 may be swept by broomsvia trench 124 into apparatus 127 or they may be air blown by nozzle 126into apparatus 127.

Alternatively, all of the larvae and worms may be dislodged by air,flushed and swept into trench 124 where a cushion of air provided byanother nozzle 126 may be used to provide propulsive force to flush thespherically shaped larvae into apparatus 127. A water flush provided bynozzle 119 may also be used in place of compressed air, but water makesthe round balls of worms sticky and worms may drown if left for too longin water. Live worms being the preferred feed material for swiftlets,compressed air is a more suitable harvesting medium. Waste feed materialand residue left behind on breeding trays 123 such as bones, feathers,hair, skin, etc. may be manually removed by means of brooms, brushes andpans for disposal.

FIG. 6C shows a worms processing apparatus 127 for separating grownworms into feed-stock and small worms to be returned to tray 123 forfurther growth. The worms may be poured from collection bins 130 intosieve tray 127. Or they may be propelled by a cushion of compressed airvia trench 124 into a vibrating slanted sieve tray 127 comprising meshsize 2 mm×2 mm where larger worms 128 may be filtered and channeled intocollection bin 130 via funnel 138. The mesh of tray 127 may be slightlyinclined towards discharge funnel 138. Water provided by nozzle 119 maybe sprayed onto tray 127 to wash and clean the worms while vibratorymovement of the tray 127 provided by vibrator motor 137 separates them.Vibratory movement of the tray 127 causes the worms to curl up formingspherical round balls. Thus they rolled around and are easily separatedfrom pieces of wet feed materials carried over from breeding trays 123which tends to stick and cling to the wire mesh of tray 127 and easilyremoved by brush manually. Vibratory movement combined with theinclination of tray 127 causes the spherically shaped worms to moveautomatically towards discharge funnel 138 and into collection bin 130.In compartment 131 grown worms are poured into trays with fine mosquitonetting and blown dry by fans. Wet worms may cause diarrhea tohatchlings. After drying, it is packed out to the habitat 17 and greenhouse 33 as bird feed.

Small sized worm 132 passes through sieve 127 and are collected intoanother vibrating slanted sieve tray 133 placed beneath tray 127. Tray133 comprises fine mesh size 0.5 mm×0.5 mm separating washing water fromthe maggots 132 which are filtered and channeled into collection bin 134by means of funnel 135. Small worms 132 are brought back to thecompartment 122 and placed in breeding trays 123 for further growth. Thewhole apparatus is mounted on a sloping surface ‘e’ such that washingwater from nozzle 119 may be drained from the inclination into drainagesystem 136. Mechanical movement for vibration of sieve trays 127 and 133may be provided by a motor 137. Alternatively, all worms collected fromtrays 123 or collection trench 124 may be directly packed into feedingbins 130, washed with water from nozzle 119 and sent to habitat 17 asbird feed. Bin 130 has a porous bottom to drain off remnant water.

Larvae of beetles of the Rhynchophorus spp. locally known as sago wormswhich can grow to the size of the human thumb, provides nourishing foodduring the nesting season and for parent birds to feed their young. Sagopalms of the genus Metroxylon spp. a plant native to Borneo andcultivated in large estates in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, may beobtained as feedstock for the large scale production of sago worms whichmay be used as food-grubs to feed nesting swiftlets, and in turn, chicksat the avian farm as parent bird(s) regurgitates the semi-digested foodin its stomach to feed its young. Mature palm trees are cut down andleft to rot at log pond 32. Sago beetles comprising Rhynchophorus spp.,common in the tropics and native to the island of Borneo deposits theireggs in the rotting trunk of sago logs. The eggs hatches and larvaefeeds on the pith or pulp of the trunk. Fully metamorphosed beetlesemerge from the pupae in about two month's time. Sago palm of the genusMetroxylon spp. comprises the species M. sagus, M. rumphii, M.sylvestre, M. longispinum, etc. Beetles of the genus Rhynchophorus spp.comprises of the species R. ferrugineus, R. palamrum, R. phoenicis, R.vulneratus, R. bilineatus, etc.

The taxonomy of these sago beetles is as follow: Phylum: Arthropoda;Sub-phylum: Uniramia; Class: Insecta; Order: Coleoptera; Family:Curculionidae; Sub-family: Rhynchophorinae; Genus: Rhynchophorus; Tribe:Rhynchophorini. Beetles comprising other genera of the ColeopteraCurculionidae order or family may also be captured and bred for theirlarvae such as Oxyctes spp., Scapanes spp., Metamasius spp., Dynamisspp., Rhabdoscleus spp., Paramasius spp., etc. with a compatible supplyof food, nutrients and breeding environment specific to their needs.

Adult beetles may be captured by means of normal insect traps forbreeding in compartment 139. They may also be lured into feed traps bymeans of a mixture of decaying fruits comprising sugar cane, pineapples,bananas etc; moist fermented palm tree tissues comprising stems, leavesand palm fruits. The trapped beetles may be bred and reared in captivityfor laying eggs. Beetles derived from the eggs may also be raised incompartment 139 for maintaining a breeding colony. The captive bredbeetle colony may be fed a diet of decaying fruits comprising sugarcane, pineapples, bananas, coconuts and fermenting palm tree tissuescomprising stems, leaves and palm fruits. During feeding males beetlesreleases pheromones comprising Rhynchopherol or Ferrugineol. Wildbeetles responding to this olfactorial attraction or stimulant ofpheromones and food may be attracted to the vicinity of the captivecolony. They may be manually captured to inject fresh breeding stock forcompartment 139. Large chunks of sago trunk measuring 1 meter(length)×0.5 meter (thick) may be cut from the middle of the trunks andbrought into eggs laying compartment 139 for adult beetles to deposittheir eggs. Female beetles oviposit 30 to 400 eggs at a time. After aweek, these pieces of cut sago trunks are brought back to the log pondand slid back into the original tree trunks. The beetle eggs hatches andlarvae fed on the pulp. To check on the stage of larvae growth, size andestimated number of worms, the collector may put his ear close to thesago tree trunk. He will hear the crunching sound of the larvaedevouring and feeding on sago pulp. A pair of stethoscope hooked to theexperienced ears of a harvestor may work wonders.

Such a method for producing sago worms may be pre-planned and staggeredto produce a steady supply of bird feed throughout the breeding season.In the holding ponds 32, sago logs may be stacked neatly on metal racksfor ease of administrative and management purposes. The sago logs or thecompartment of the rack in which the logs are stored may be marked withdetails regarding the source of logs, type, date of felling, date ofoviposition of eggs, harvesting date range, etc. such that harvestingtime may be forecast, planned and ascertained. Sago logs may bephysically moved around the ponds by means of hoists and winches, heavyduty forklifts and mechanized grippers commonly used in the timberlogging industry; and cut into size with sawing machines before beingseeded and deposited with beetle eggs. Specialized mechanized hydraulicwedges may be configured or acquired for use in splitting open larvaeinfested logs in order to harvest the worms.

Commonly known as red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus spp. attacks or areattracted to several species of plant: such as date palm, oil palm, sagopalm, coconut palm, palemera palm, banana, pineapple, sugarcane; Arenga,Coelcoccus, Corypha, Elaeis, Livistona, Matroxylon, Nypa, Oncosperma,Aloes, and the screw-pine (Najeeb 1988, Jaffe et al. 1993). Traditionaltrap crops comprising coconut, pineapple, banana and sugar cane havebeen used for attracting, trapping and exterminating most beetles of theRhynchophorus spp. Sugarcane is one of the cheapest and best sources ofkairomones to enhance attraction of palm weevils to pheromone-baitedtraps. Adult R. ferrugineus and R. volneratus beetles are attracted towounded palms where eggs are laid and the larvae tunnel into theterminal bud or trunk of the tree, leading directly to its death(Sadakathulla 1991). The sub family Rhynchophorinae contains severalgenera that are closely associated with Palmae, Zingiberaceae,Muscaceae, Amaryllidaceae and Gramineae, all monocotyledons (Kalshoven,L. G. E. 1981).

Before the beetle larvae reaches the pupation stage, the trunk is splitopen to collect large juicy worms providing a rich source of protein andfat, and an extremely nourishing food for feeding nesting birds. Aftersifting, smaller worms may be brought back for fattening at compartment139 a by feeding on pieces of cut sago trunk. Alternatively, they may bereared for breeding purposes such that the larvae are allowed to pupate,metamorphose and grow into adult beetles for laying eggs. Sago beetlesor worms may also be commercially raised for producing animal productssuch as chitin and chitosan, and for retail as food grubs for humanconsumption. Small worms may be sold for 10 cents while thumb sizedspecimen goes for 50 cents. The pith or pulp of the sago tree may beprocessed to provide pellet form of bird feed. Sago flour forms a staplefood for local people while sago worms are treated as a mouth-wateringdelicacy by the native populace in Borneo. In New Guinea, sago grubsroasted, deep fried (aroma of chicken wings) or alive provides anutritious source of protein to coastal Papuans, as well as a ceremonialfood for the Asmat tribe. Other insects comprising the Class Insecta mayalso be bred for their larvae and worms with a compatible supply offood, nutrients and a breeding environment specific to their needs.

Sago palms are slow to grow, taking between 8 to 12 years to mature. Amajor palm oil producer, Malaysia had successfully reduced the gestationperiod of oil palm trees. Similar reduction of the gestation period bymeans of hybrid species of sago trees in studies conducted byresearchers in the Malaysian state of Sarawak shall enable large scalecommercial production of sago to provide a stable supply of rawmaterials for the food processing industries. And a plentiful supply ofsago logs for breeding worms to feed swiftlets. Besides sago palm(Metroxylon spp.) cut tree trunks of aged and unproductive coconut trees(Cocos nucifera) and oil palms (Elaeis guineensis, Attalea butyracea)felled for replanting purposes may be acquired as feed stock forbreeding of red palm weevil larvae. Other related plants such as datepalm, oil palm, sago palm, coconut palm, palemera palm, banana,pineapple, sugarcane; Arenga, Coelcoccus, Corypha, Elaeis, Livistona,Matroxylon, Nypa, Oncosperma, Aloes, and the screw-pine may also beobtained for use as feed materials, including plants in the familyZingiberaceae, Muscaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Palmae and Gramineae.

Supplementary foods for captive breeding of swiftlets may include groundseed grains such as rice, maize and pellet forms of bird feed used forpoultry farming stored at location 36. Such that swiftlets may be raisedto feed on all forms and types of food available. Such versatility andadaptability being beneficial to the survival of the fittest and mayprove indispensable in times of adversity.

FIG. 7A shows the detailed diagram of a specialized large scale insectscatching device 38 for entrapment of airborne insects to provide adultbirds with food. Insects comprises the primary food of these avianspecies. Insects are attracted by means of lights emitted by lamp 140housed inside a water proof casing and reflective panels 141 into alarge trap 38 constructed from wire mesh and mounted with watersprinklers 142. At regular intervals pump 143 automatically runs tospray water jets into the trap 38 by means of sprinklers 142 to knockdown and wash collected insects into side collection panels 141, trough144, sluice 145, guard panes 146 and retention bin 147. Water isdiverted back into suction sump 148 from where it is circulated by pump143 via piping system 149 to spray nozzles 142. Water level in the sumpis controlled by float apparatus 150. Insects 151 gathered in retentionbin 147 may be collected for bird feed. The apparatus may be configuredwherein one unit may be stacked on top of another, such that severalstackable units may be combined together to maximize insect catches.Commercially available chemical attractants such as pheromones, sexualstimulants, etc. may be used to attract insects and improve catches.Commercially available insect traps of suitable configurations may alsobe acquired and used for obtaining bird-feed.

A managed and sustainable harvesting of edible bird's nests may becarried out only after juvenile birds had left its nest and takenflight, or had been brought to training center 33. Three nesting seasonswhich varies from January to April and from August to December enablesthree collections or harvests to be carried out per year. Thecollector(s) harvesting nests which are attached to crevices, ledges,caves and structure of the nesting habitat performs a visual check toensure that nests are actually empty and abandoned (i.e., that theedible bird's nest does not contain any eggs or young birds) beforescraping the bird's nest receptacles from the structure to remove them.

Processing and sanitization treatment of raw harvested nests may becarried out by means of slight steaming. Raw nests are soaked and gentlywashed in cold water for 2 to 4 hours to soften the strands and manuallyscrubbed by hand to remove dirt, mud, bird feces. Dirty soaking watermay be changed until it is clear and the nests strands had become softand pliant. Larger pieces of feathers and other impurities maysubsequently be removed, and gelatinous strands of the nests are mouldedinto an oval shape or in the shape of an actual bird's nests.De-feathering of edible bird's nests is a labor intensive task requiringplucking minute pieces of downs and feathers with forceps. At atemperature of 25 deg. C. and 60% humidity, the water content of nestsmay be kept at 12%.

FIG. 7B shows a dryer-ventilator apparatus 152 for drying the processednests. Wet nests 153 are placed on porous trays 154 for drying. Poroustrays 154 may be placed on the grills of compartment 155 where cool dryair from the air conditioning unit 156 is passed over the trays. Exhaustair from the apparatus 152 may be recycled back to the condenser 157 ofair conditioning unit 156 where it is cooled down, moisture removed,dried and re-circulated back into the apparatus 152.

Alternatively, on a large scale, the drying apparatus 152 may comprise aroom with trays 154 placed on racks. The air conditioning unit 156 andcondenser 157 may be run to dry out the wet nests stacked in the room.Pieces and strands of the nest sticks together upon drying. UV and IRlights and other sanitizing rays with fumigative and germicidalproperties may be used to sterilize the finished products if desired.

FIG. 8A shows the plan view of a mechanized hoisting and winchingapparatus used to harvest and collect edible bird's nests, while FIG. 8Bshows a cross sectional view 8B-8B of the apparatus. The liftingapparatus comprises of two main components.

Firstly, the main mechanized lifting system comprising hoist drum 160and rotary motor 161 to 165 provides vertical movement of cage 82 up anddown cliff face 16. This mechanism is the main work horse which liftsthe load comprising a work-cage 82, or a nest collector securelystrapped in a safety harness. Electric motor 161 provides motive powerwhich is transmitted via gearbox 162 to cable drum 160. Such a mechanismmay be configured to lift a nest collector hundreds of meters up anddown the steep cliff 16.

Secondly, a motorized mobile lever and pulley system 166 to 176 provideshorizontal movement between point A and point B. FIG. 8C shows thedetailed sectional view 8B-8B of the second component comprising themotorized lever and pulley mechanism mounted along the edge of cliff top20, capable of moving a nest collector horizontally between point A andpoint B along the steep cliff face 16. Such a mechanism may be designedand configured to move a collector a distance of 50 to 100 meters fromone part of the cliff to another (points A and B) enabling safecollection of edible bird's nests along this stretch of cliff face.Correspondingly the distance of cable 90 between the main liftingmechanism 160 to 165 and 166 to 176 may be adjusted and increased tomaintain an optimum angle.

The fixed rail assembly 168 is securely anchored to cliff top 20 in aconcrete base 175. On top of rail assembly 168 is mounted an anchoringroller assembly 167. Affixed on top of the anchoring roller assembly 167is a motorized lever and pulley apparatus (171, 172, 166, 176).Propulsion is provided by electric motor 171 which moves a gear piece172 against the gear teeth 173 of a fixed gear rail 174 affixed to aconcrete base 175. Rollers and bearings 169 and 170 provides ease ofmovement as the motorized mobile lever and pulley system 166 to 176 ismoved along cliff top 20 between point A and B. Lifting cable or line 90passes through the roller of pulley 176 residing on top of lever 166 toprovide vertical movement.

Alternatively, the fixed rail assembly 168 and fixed gear rail 174 maybe welded to girder 21 of the cage structure and the whole motorizedlever and pulley mechanism 171, 166 and 176 may be mounted on top of thehorizontal portion of the girder structure 21 resting on cliff top 20.In such an arrangement, girder structure 21 would require theconstruction of additional vertical legs and support resting on clifftop 20 to take the added weight. Refer FIG. 2I.

FIG. 8D shows a detailed view of a roller guide assembly comprising fourrollers to keep the hoist cable or line 90 in position, to avoid andprevent damage due to abrasion against the housing assembly 163 as themobile apparatus is moved between point A and B along the cliff top. Onepair of vertical rollers 165 may be anchored to the drum line housingassembly 163. Another pair of horizontal rollers 164 may be secured tothe vertical rollers 165 and kept in position by means of two pieces ofpositioning brackets 178. As the line 90 passes through the roller guideassembly, any one of the rollers coming in direct contact with line 90will rotate to provide a smooth passage for the line while at the sametime, keeping it in position.

Alternatively, main lifting mechanism 160 to 165 may be combined andintegrated with the lever pulley mechanism 166 to 176 and mounted on amovable rail 168. Rail 168 may be modified to comprise dual trackedrails to take the load.

A number of such winching apparatus may be strategically positioned andspread on cliff top 20 to enable harvesting of nests along the wholestretch of cliff face 16 comprising the nesting habitat 17 and nestproduction facility. All of the components are securely anchored to thesurface of cliff top 20. A safety cable or line 85 is anchored to a post179 independently of the lifting apparatus for providing the collectorwith a backup, a last line of defense if the mechanized lifting systemfails. For example, if lifting cable or line 90 broke suddenly thensafety line 85 will be the collector's only insurance from certaindeath. Such that attachment to the safety line 85 may be made amandatory requirement even before the winching apparatus can be started.Cable or line 85 is held in place by a piece of guide wire 180diagonally attached to lever 166. Line 85 goes through the eye of theguide wire 180 freely such that it follows the main lifting apparatusand ensures that line 85 does not get entangled as the movable liftingapparatus moves between points A and B.

FIG. 8E illustrates further alternative features and arrangement of trapdoor 110 to protect the roofing structure of breeding and productionfacility 100 from wind-lev damages. Self-activating door 110 may beconfigured to open by it-self and to close back gently by means ofwind-lev. effects and gravity. The upper portion of door 110 is securedby flexible hinge joints 184 mounted on both sides of door 110. Whilethe lower portion is moveable and kept in place by a double headed boltor stud 181 and guide rails 182 and 183 mounted on both sides. Aswind-lev pushes door 110 open, double headed bolt 181 mounted in rail182 on both sides of door 110 guides it along a pair of external slidingguide rails 183 as it moves upward, opening a passage way in roof 97 forwind to enter and exit habitat 17. The maximum opening of door 110 islimited by guide rail 183 which is in turn limited by stopper 185.

When exterior wind speed drops adequately, trap door 110 experiences areduced wind-lev effect and the weight of door 110 gradually make itdrop lower until it closes. The guide rails 183 may be boomerang shapedsuch that as door 110 closes, its downward movement is stopped when itreaches the right angled bend. Thus preventing a slamming or bangingeffect from occurring. Door 110 pivots on swivel hinge 184 and guiderail 183 before seating back gently into its original position on roof97.

FIG. 8F shows a plan view of the mechanism while FIG. 8G shows section8G-8G of the double headed bolt 181, one end of which is engaged inexternal guide rail 183 while the other end is engaged in door mounted‘C’ shaped rail 182 and slot 186. The two ends of double headed bolt 181being larger in size than the apertures of guide rails 182 and 183,slides in the channels 186 of door mounted guide rail 182 and externalguide rail 183, holding the two pieces of equipment together as door 110is moved, securing and preventing it from being blown off.

FIG. 8H shows an alternative arrangement in which trap door 110 may bedesigned to be self-activating, opening and closing automatically bymeans of wind-lev effects and gravity. Trap door 110 may be connected tocounter-weight 190 by means of line 188 and pulley wheel 189. Weight 190may be slightly lighter than the weight of door 110. Such that when astrong wind blows, creating a pressure differential high enough to pushand lift up trap door 110, the weight of door 110 may now be supportedby wind-lev. Counter-weight 190 easily overcomes this “lightened” loadof door 110, and pulls door 110 open by means of line 188 and pulleywheel 189, sliding it up the roof incline. Allowing wind from theexterior of roof 97 to enter habitat 17 equalizing the interior windspeed and neutralizing the differential pressure cum wind lift effects.

Door 110 is guided in its movement by means of 3 pieces of guide rails182. Anterior wise, two pieces of stud 187 may be affixed to the cornersB and C of door 110, the other ends securely engaged in slot 186 ofrails 182. Posterior wise, at point E, stud 187 may be affixed at oneend to a swivel hinge 184, the other end engaged in recessed slot 186 ofrail 182. When exterior wind speed drops adequately, trap door 110experiences a reduced wind-lev effect and “regained” its body weight,gradually overcomes the pulling force exerted by counter-weight 190,slides down the roof incline until it seats back into its originalposition. Shapes of trap door 110 may comprise triangular or trapezeconfigurations such that exertion of wind-lev effects may be utilizedmore fully. Points ABCD having a larger surface area experiences alarger wind-lev effect than points AED. In another form, alternatelyspaced fixed overlapping inner and outer roofing structure may also beused to minimize wind-lev.

Standard practice in cleaning edible bird's nest is to swell the nestwith a few changes of clear cold water. The swollen bird's nest isplaced in a container and rinsed with water and the nest is broken apartby tearing the nest threads. Impurities such as particles and feathersare removed. Different nests have different properties, house nestsproduced in abandoned human dwellings, contains less impurities andfeathers. They are cleaner and have an intact boat shape with a highswelling capacity. White nests are smooth while yellow and blood-rednests are crunchier because they contain more minerals than white nests.

Cave nests produced by wild swiftlets in natural caves and on cliffs arefirm, hard and deep in color due to the harsh natural climate andenvironment. Cave nests are not as well shaped as house nests andcontain higher impurities. Cave nests are crunchy with low swellingcapacity that lengthens the time for preparation. Nests may be white incolor, yellow, orange or blood-red. Shaped in the form of cups, lumpy,stripped, shredded, minced, ball shaped. The different products ofbird's nests that can be found in the market include the natural wholenest, nest strips, nest pieces, nest threads and the irregular shapednest cake processed from nest threads. The age of the bird influencesthe quality of its nests. Generally the older the bird is, the moresimmer-tolerant the nest. Bird's nests appears neat on the periphery,but are rough internally and high in elasticity with high culinary andmedicinal value.

Nutritional effects-wise, edible bird's nest is widely known as anourishing and replenishing medicinal food with special alleviative andtherapeutic effects; a rejuvenating health food with restorativeproperties to reinvigorate the human body. Chinese researchers haddiscovered that edible bird's nest contains a “cell division inducinghormone” and an “epithelial growth factor” that can stimulate growth anddivision of cells, thereby enhancing tissue growth, cellularregeneration and cell-mediated immunity in humans. Such recentscientific evidence lends further proof to support the age oldassumption and entrenched beliefs regarding such properties of ediblebird's nest: such as stimulating regeneration of body cells; enhancecell-mediated immunity; rejuvenation and recovery of irradiated tissues,especially during medical procedures when patients are exposed to X-rayscausing huge quantities of body cells to die off.

Composition wise modern scientific experiments have discovered thatnests are largely composed of protein (49.9%), including considerableamounts of bio-active protein, as well as essential minerals such asphosphorus, iron, calcium, sodium and potassium. Studies have found thatnests consist of elements which stimulate cell growth and reproduction,thus able to promote tissue growth, cell re-growth and enhance cellularimmunity functions. Edible bird's nest contains the precious salivarysecretion of swiftlets, thus the ideal storage method is to store thebird's nest in an airtight storage jar followed by refrigeration. Nestsmay be dried with a fan or beneath an air-conditioner. Care should betaken to avoid drying of nests by baking or exposure to direct sunlight.

The avian farm may engage specialist expertise such as ornithologistsand veterinarians to study and monitor the swiftlet population growthrate, mortality rate, behavioral patterns, demographic dynamics, foodresource, etc. for future planning needs. Such as expansion of thenesting habitat, demography and distribution of avian population, foodsupply logistics, forecast and planning, limitations of the feedingground surrounding the farm, etc. All such data are non-existence andrequire further study and research to determine.

Included in the eco-farm are specialized avian treatment facilities suchas veterinary laboratory for (swiftlet's) physiological sampling andchecking, such as blood tests, inspection, avian disease control andtesting; medication and administration of avian medicine, vaccinationagainst disease and sickness; programs to increase growth rates andaccelerate reproductive capacity by means of growth hormones, matinghormone or lights comprising special bands of red light comprisingwavelengths 620 nm to 730 nm. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,767 E1 Halawani etal. teaches such a method of employing photo-stimulation to increaseeggs production in poultry. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,987 Kopchick et alteaches a method of using bovin growth hormone to increase growth ratesin poultry. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,511 Souza et al teaches a purifiedand isolated DNA sequence coding for expression of chicken growthhormone poly-peptide. These methods may be trial-tested and if foundsuitable, adopted and applied under license to domesticated swiftlets todramatically increase its population and the edible bird's nestsproduction capacity of the farm. The farm may also include monitoring &quarantine facilities; fumigation and pest control equipment andfacilities for ticks, mites, lice, etc.

The swiftlets breeding and edible bird's nests production facility mayalso be used to provide a scientific-research platform, a facility forcarrying out experiments and studies in swiftlets related fields ofspecialties such as avian disease, preventive measures, etc.Ornithologists and research fellows may study avian and swiftletscolonial behavioral patterns under controlled conditions without scaringthe birds. Or, in the specialized scientific research of the avianecho-location capabilities of these cave swiftlets. Minute radios withmicro-transmitters may be attached to the swifts to monitor theirpattern of flight, range and feeding habits, etc. under conditions thatonly a domesticated farm may provide.

Mechanical lifts used in high rise buildings may be used fortransportation up and down steep cliffs, structures and the roof of birdcaves 100, hundreds of meters high. Equipment for use at the farm maycomprise lifting machineries such as man lifts, overhead cranes orhoists, tower-cranes together with specialized mountaineering cum sportsequipment such as lanyards, hooks, tackles, foot grips, grapples, etc.for rappelling the steep cliffs of the production facility. Permanenthooks and tackles may be built and installed into strategic locationswithin the production facility. Ladders, securing ropes, attachmentpoints, etc. may be pre-positioned together with safety lines,harnesses. Standard house-keeping practices, equipment maintenance,statutory inspections, standard operating procedures, work safety andproduction quality form the norms of such a breeding and productionfacility.

All of the features and individual components, apparatus and methodologyas disclosed in present invention may be cross applied and used incombination and integrated with each other.

1. A method of cultivating and harvesting at least one edible bird'snests, said method comprising: providing a first production facilitycomprising a man-made housing structure configured to provide a shelterand enclosed nesting habitat (17) for breeding at least one swiftlet(61) for its nest in an environment emulative and simulative of naturalcave conditions in which cave dwelling swiftlets thrive; stocking saidproduction facility with swiftlets for laying eggs; and removing aswiftlet from said first production facility and transferring saidswiftlet to a second production facility in to stock said new productionfacility with at least one swiftlet (61) to produce at least one ediblebird's nest (62).
 2. The method of claim 1 further including the step ofproviding an incubator in the first production facility for placement ofa swiftlet egg in order to incubate and hatch the swiftlet egg.